Fantastic Beasts 3 Halts Production Due to Positive COVID-19 Test

Yet another Warner Bros. production in England has been forced to temporarily shut down as a result of a positive COVID-19 test. Matt Reeves' The Batman had to halt last year when star Robert Pattinson tested positive for the virus, and now the third installment in the Fantastic Beasts series is going through the same protocol. Someone involved in the filming of Fantastic Beasts 3 has tested positive for coronavirus, and the entire production must be halted as a result.

"A team member from Fantastic Beasts 3 has tested positive for COVID-19," Warner Bros. said in a statement to Deadline. "The diagnosis was confirmed as a result of required and ongoing testing that all production employees receive, and the team member is currently in isolation. Out of an abundance of caution, Fantastic Beasts 3 paused production and will be back up in accordance with safety guidelines."

Warner Bros. didn't reveal what kind of team member tested positive, so it's unclear at this point which part of the production they were involved in, or how close they might have been to others on the set. The project will remain halted for the time being, until it can be determined that there are no more more potential positive cases and everyone can return to work.

Unfortunately, this isn't the first production delay for Fantastic Beasts 3, which was supposed to have already been completed. The film was slated to go into production last March, but was forced to delay until later in the year because of the pandemic-related lockdowns. This caused for a much colder filming schedule than anyone initially expected.

"I can't tell you anything other than the fact that I think I've got some night shoots in Watford, in Leavesden, [England], that we were meant to shoot in the summer in water," star Eddie Redmayne told Jamie Dornan in an episode of Variety's Actors on Actors. "But now obviously because of lockdown, and the film shut down, they're being shot in early December. And suddenly you find yourself swimming outdoors in British winter."

Fantastic Beasts 3, which is still without an official title, is set to hit theaters on July 15, 2022.