David Yates first made his bones as a feature film director when he signed on to helm 2007’s Harry Potter And The Order Of The Phoenix. Evidentally the producers oft he franchise and the brass at studio Warner Brothers were impressed enough with his work that they signed the director to shoot the remaining three films of the franchise. And then brought him back for the first installment of the prequel series, Fantastic Beasts And Where To Find Them. And now Yates’ career may be intertwined with the franchise for a bit more time as the Hollywood Reporter is stating that the director could be behind the camera for the prequel series’s entire five film run.
The Reporter quotes Yates as stating that he enjoys making the films, but notes that he does stop short of confirming that he will be directing the remaining four films in the new franchise.
“I love making films, and I’ve got a great team, all of whom are like family,” Yates told THR at Thursday’s world premiere. The commitment is not official, and it isn’t daunting to him, either: “I only look at it movie-to-movie.”
Personally, I think having Yates as the man behind the camera for the entire five film run is a pretty good idea. The Harry Potter films really seemed to solidify under his watch in a way that they had not been able to do so thanks to the shifting visual styles that the previous films, turned in under different directors, had. Granted, Yates’ non-Potter film from earlier this summer, The Legend Of Tarzan, was a hot mess, but the Potter films seem to be something that he is in simpatico with and hopefully he will stay with the series as it continues to roll out over the next several years.
Fantastic Beasts And Where To Find Them opens this weekend and its first sequel is scheduled to hit theaters on Nov. 16, 2018.