Second 'Fantastic Beasts' film to release in 2018

The first "Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them" movie is still three months away, but producers have already set a date for its sequel-- November 16, 2018.
The news comes during a big week for Harry Potter author JK Rowling, whose script-book for the play "Harry Potter and the Cursed Child" (by Jack Thorne, based on a story by himself, Rowling and director John Tiffany) debuted on Sunday and sold 2 million copies in its first two days.
Rowling and her Pottermore team are betting big on continued interest in the wizarding world, and the "Fantastic Beasts" movie franchise is conceived as a trilogy, reported Variety.

Rowling has written the screenplay for "Fantastic Beasts" herself, a departure from the Potter films.
The first movie tells the story of Newt Scamander (played by Eddie Redmayne), author of Harry's future textbook, traveling to New York City in the 1920s with dangerous magical beasts in tow.
Warner Bros said the second movie "moves deeper into an increasingly dark time for the wizarding world, where Newt and our other heroes have to decide on their allegiances.