According to widely reported accounts, Warner Brothers may be shelving the Fantastic Beasts series. With the last two films getting less positive response and less box office response than the first one, it appears we may not see the remaining two stories in Newt’s series, or at least not anytime soon.  Some news stories blame controversy or the rumored feud between the studios and Rowling, but it seems far more likely that the issue is financial. According to the Internet Movie Database, the first Fantastic Beasts film grossed $814,044,001 worldwide,  but the second only grossed $654,855,901 and the third $405,161,334. Franchises are supposed to make more money with each installment, or at least have close box offices, not drop sharply in revenue. For comparison, the film adaptation of Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone earned  $1,023,842,938 and the eighth film, the second part of The Deathly Hallows, generated $1,342,359,942. Each of the different installments had varying returns, but they all continue to be successful, generating income and running repeatedly on syndication. Warner Bros has cut other projects that were not expected to perform well.

While some outlets are declaring the Fantastic Beasts series as dead as Professor Binns, other stories are focusing on Warner Brothers’ interest in making more Harry Potter movies, with Rowling, if she is interested. According to The Hollywood Reporter, Warner Brothers Discovery CEO David Zaslav says the studio is really interested in franchises and wants to see “if we can do something with J.K. on Harry Potter going forward.” The fact that he refers to her as “J.K.,” rather than as “Jo,” or “Rowling,” is interesting, and he also seems to be confused about the potential for more films about Harry, seeing the franchise as just another cash cow rather than as an adaptation of a book series whose books have all been adapted. Some think Warner Bros may try to move forward with a Cursed Child  adaptation, and some of the the film’s stars and director Chris Columbus seem interested, but the studio’s franchise focus may instead mean that the entire series could be getting a reboot with entirely new actors.

If Newt’s big screen adventures are over, will there be book adaptations to connect the dots between the prequels and the beginning of Harry’s story? Do you care? Thoughts, theories?

As we await April and the release of Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore, we’ve already been closely analyzing the previews and posters as they come along, dissecting the carefully arranged images and making predictions that may turn out to be dead accurate, wildly off base, or somewhere in between. Last week, we were treated to a series of eighteen character posters, and they are likely already going up across the country in theaters eager to welcome back live audiences after nearly two years of viewers relying more on streaming than on the cineplex.

While there will be plenty of folks eager to blow some money, gobble some popcorn, and just enjoy the promised CGI-fest, maybe even in IMAX, there may also be more to the film than just another money-spinning blockbuster; there is certainly more to these posters than just glossy headshots of attractive people with sparkly sticks. We could be dazzled and distracted by the pretty faces or snazzy costumes, but there are a few interesting themes that are noticeable, including the use of lights and light sources, a strange flower motif, and some very well positioned backgrounds.

Of course, we also need to talk about the Auror in the room, or rather, the Auror who isn’t in the room. Join me after the jump as we take a peek at each poster we have (and speculate on the one we don’t have) to make some of those predictions!

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