After three films, and dwindling box office returns for each successive movie, the “Fantastic Beasts” franchise may officially be over. Variety reports (via Total Film) that David Yates, who helmed all three of “Harry Potter” prequels (and the final four in the original franchise) revealed in a new interview that the series is “parked.” And it’s news to him that the plan all along was for “Fantastic Beasts” to be a five-film series.

Continue reading David Yates Says The ‘Fantastic Beasts’ Franchise Is “Parked” & No One Told Him About J.K. Rowling’s Plans To Make Five Films at The Playlist.

How far will a single mom go to keep her family out of debt? “Pain Hustlers” follows Liza Drake, a woman whose life is upended after losing her job. A chance meeting sets this mother on a path to prosperity, but everything comes at a high cost. This Netflix adaptation of Evan Hughes’ book hails from director David Yates — with a screenplay by Wells Tower.

Continue reading ‘Pain Hustlers’ Trailer: Emily Blunt & Chris Evans Profit Off The Opioid Crisis, But At A Cost at The Playlist.

Stars like Emily Blunt and Chris Evans have carefully created the public persona of being kind and gracious people — through prior roles, interviews, and chat show appearances. Doubtless, it is not just good PR — they are genuinely lovely people. But the image created is so strong that either due to limitations of the material at hand or their own acting abilities – they are unable to dispel that notion and truly inhibit diverse characters.

Continue reading ‘Pain Hustlers’ Review: Emily Blunt & Chris Evans’s Big Pharma Satire Is A Limp ‘Wolf Of Wall Street’ Riff [TIFF] at The Playlist.

The opioid crisis is a real global tale of capitalism run amuck, and it’s been the basis for stories like Netflix’s recent “Painkiller” and Hulu’s Sackler-based series, “Dopesick.” The latest from this unending tale of greed, corruption, and rampant capitalism is “Pain Hustlers,” which comes from Netflix and stars an A-list cast of Emily Blunt and Chris Evans.

Continue reading ‘Pain Hustlers’ Trailer: Emily Blunt & Chris Evans Get Rich Off The Opioid Crisis In New Netflix Drama at The Playlist.

Chris Evans’ new Netflix film, “The Gray Man,” hasn’t even been released yet, but it appears the actor has already lined up his next offering for the streaming service. 

READ MORE: Chris Evans Says Returning As Captain America Would Be “Upsetting” Because Anthony Mackie Has The Role Now

According to Deadline, Chris Evans is joining Emily Blunt in the upcoming thriller, “Pain Hustlers,” which is a project Netflix recently purchased during this year’s Cannes.

Continue reading ‘Pain Hustlers’: Chris Evans To Star Opposite Emily Blunt In David Yates’ New Film at The Playlist.

An avalanche of excellent film packages have been linked to the Cannes Market this month, and another one has a high-profile actress and director involved. Emily Blunt (“Sicario”) and Potterverse director David Yates are teaming up for a new crime thriller, “Pain Hustlers,” that is set within the world of prescription drugs. Deadline reports the Central Flordia story penned by Wells Tower focuses on a woman, Blunt’s Lizzie Drake, trying to help her struggling pharmaceutical start-up.

Continue reading ‘Pain Hustlers’: David Yates To Direct Emily Blunt In Perscription Drug Thriller at The Playlist.

Since it started in 2016, critical praise for the “Fantastic Beasts” series hasn’t panned out exactly as Warner Bros. anticipated. Still, this is a “Harry Potter“-adjacent franchise, so it’s a cash cow, albeit not the biggest one in the studio’s pasture. The first in the series netted $816 million at the box office, and its 2018 sequel, “The Crimes Of Grindelwald,” $654 million, both on $200 million budgets.  

READ MORE: ‘Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets Of Dumbledore’ Trailer: The Wizarding World Goes To War In April 

So, how will the third film in the series, “Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets Of Dumbledore,” fare with audiences after COVID-19 delayed its release a bit?

Continue reading New ‘Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets Of Dumbledore’ Trailer: Return To The Wizarding World On April 15 at The Playlist.

It’s a bit of an understatement to say that Warner Bros. might have been expecting more from the studio’s ‘Fantastic Beasts’ film series. It would be bad enough that both films haven’t had the box office showings that WB hoped for. But there’s also the fact that critics and fans have been less-than-enthusiastic about the new series of films written by ‘Harry Potter’ creator J.K.

Continue reading J.K. Rowling Gets A Co-Writer For Third ‘Fantastic Beasts’ Film As WB Makes Changes To Upcoming Production at The Playlist.

2016’s “Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them” promised to be a new, tonally distinct chapter in the so-called Wizarding World. Based on a slender, canon-adjacent book by J.K. Rowling (who also provided the film’s screenplay), it was sold as an airy romp following a foppish Brit (Eddie Redmayne) as he scampered around Jazz Age Manhattan collecting magical creatures and attempting to prevent the human world from getting wind of his misadventures.

Continue reading ‘Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald’ Is A Magical & Surprisingly Relevant Addition To The Wizarding World [Review] at The Playlist.

The magic of Harry Potter’s wizarding world is returning with “Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald.” From the beginning, The Boy Who Lived stole our hearts first with the book series, then again when we saw the magic on the big screen. Author J.K. Rowling built a world so complex in detail it leaves room for more than one story to be told, so that is what she did.

Continue reading ‘Fantastic Beasts: Crimes Of Grindelwald’ Trailer: The Magic Is Back at The Playlist.

It seems that “Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes Of Grindelwald” just keeps walking into controversy. First there was director David Yates‘ and creator/screenwriter J.K. Rowling‘s rather weak defence over the casting of Johnny Depp in the series as Grindelwald. Now comes word that the sexuality of young Dumbledore, played by Jude Law in the forthcoming film, will pretty much be kept under wraps.

Continue reading ‘The Crimes Of Grindelwald’ Will Keep Dumbledore’s Sexuality Hidden at The Playlist.

Making a prequel is always a risky endeavor. Often times, they can be odds with what made the previous film successful by making something off-tone and disconnected. But with “Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald,” director David Yates is treading in familiar territory.

“Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them” essentially introduced Potter fans to a new time and different setting in the Magical world.

Continue reading ‘Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald’ Trailer: The Fate Of One, The Future Of All at The Playlist.

It hasn’t been that long since we last visited the wizarding world of Harry Potter. When “Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2” brought closure to the on-screen journey in 2011, amusement parks, sanctioned plays, digital publications and more kept the spirit of Hogwarts burning inside the hearts of fans everywhere. It’s not hard to see why, either. In the age of persistent nostalgia, Potter remains a bright, warm fixture of comfort, excitement and bedazzlement for audiences of all ages.

Continue reading ‘Fantastic Beasts And Where To Find Them’ Waves Its Wand, But Doesn’t Quite Conjure The Same ‘Harry Potter’ Magic [Review] at The Playlist.

After grossing $7.7 billion worldwide with the highest grossing one-character franchise of all time — not counting the Marvel Cinematic Universe, which is slightly different — Warner Bros. could not let the “Harry Potter” IP sit idle. And so with some gentle prodding by J.K. Rowling, who already seems all too keen to return to the the wizarding world anyhow, the studio and author were up and running.

Continue reading New ‘Fantastic Beasts And Where To Find Them’ Trailer Takes Us Deeper Into The Magic Of The Wizarding World at The Playlist.

In a summer where a number of movies have failed to live up to expectations, one of the dicier propositions has been “The Legend Of Tarzan.” Warner Bros have been developing a new take on Edgar Rice Burroughs’ ape-raised hero for years, and David Yates, who directed half the “Harry Potter” movies, was the man put in charge.

But few have really gotten enthusiastic about the new take, which sees Alexander Skarsgard’s Tarzan return to Africa, with wife Jane (Margot Robbie) in tow, to battle evil Belgian colonialists led by Christoph Waltz, and early box office tracking hasn’t been great.

Continue reading Watch The Final Trailer For ‘The Legend Of Tarzan’ Starring Alexander Skarsgard, Margot Robbie & Samuel L. Jackson at The Playlist.

All fairness to David Yates, he knows to put spectacle on the big screen, but try as I might, I cannot for the life of me muster any interest in “The Legend Of Tarzan.” It looks beautifully photographed, but also gorgeously dull. I mean, sure, Alexander Skarsgard swinging around shirtless has an appeal for a certain audience, but seriously, how many times is Christoph Waltz going to play this same villain?

Continue reading Meet The King Of The Jungle In New IMAX Trailer For ‘The Legend Of Tarzan’ at The Playlist.

Is 'Tarzan' Warner Bros. Next 'Pan' Style Flop?

Continue reading Is ‘Tarzan’ Warner Bros. Next ‘Pan’ Style Flop? at The Playlist.

Continue reading Tom Hardy Preparing To Play Al Capone In David Yates’ Trilogy ‘Cicero’; Film(s) Aiming For 2013 Start at The Playlist.

Continue reading Gangster Flicks Are The New Fairy Tale Movies, Apparently: Duelling Capone Films In Development at The Playlist.

Continue reading David Yates Eyed For Al Capone Pic ‘Cicero’ at The Playlist.

Warner Bros., who are still using conversion production outlet Prime Focus who are rebuilding their reputation after their awful rush job of “Clash Of The Titans,” are said to be methodically converting both parts of ‘Deathly Hallows.’ Director David Yates is still in post-production on ‘Deathly Hallows’ but will be overseeing the conversion of his Potter films to 3D.

Continue reading Warner Bros. Still Converting ‘Deathly Hallows’ To 3D For BluRay; ‘Order Of The Phoenix’ & ‘Half-Blood Prince’ To Go 3D Too at The Playlist.

In a statement, the studio said “we will not have a completed 3D version of the film within our release date window,” adding “despite everyone’s best efforts, we were unable to convert the film in its entirety and meet the highest standards of quality.

Continue reading Warner Bros. Cancels 3D Release Of ‘Harry Potter & The Deathly Hallows,’ Will Hit Theaters In 2D Only at The Playlist.

According to Comic Book Movie, Joe Carnahan, David Yates and James McTeigue are on the short list to direct the “Fantastic Four” reboot film that will go in front of cameras next year with a summer 2012 release in mind.

Continue reading Joe Carnahan, David Yates & James McTeigue Rumored To Direct ‘Fantastic Four’ Reboot; Bruce Willis & Kiefer Sutherland Wanted To Voice The Thing? at The Playlist.

‘Hallows’ follows wizard friends Harry (Daniel Radcliffe), Hermione (Emma Watson) and Ron (Rupert Grint), as they find and destroy the source of immortality for Harry’s nemesis, Lord Voldemort (Ralph Fiennes), leading to his and Harry’s final confrontation, where one must die so that the other can live.

Continue reading Watch: New Trailer For ‘Harry Potter And The Deathly Hallows’ at The Playlist.

Adam McKay is developing horror-comedy “Hansel and Gretel: Witch Hunters,” Bryan Singer gets underway on “Jack the Giant Killer” next year, and original “Twilight” director Catherine Hardwicke is currently shooting “The Girl With The Red Riding Hood,” and now two more potential projects look to be joining them.

Continue reading Fairy Tales Are The New Vampires: ‘Legends’ & ‘Fables’ Heading To The Screen; David Yates To Direct ‘Fables’? at The Playlist.