Warner Bros. is pushing back the production start date of its third “Fantastic Beasts” movie several months from July to the late fall, a spokesperson said Friday.

Actors have been notified about the change in dates. The untitled third “Fantastic Beasts” movie has not yet set a release date. “Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them” was released on Nov. 18, 2016, and “Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Gindelwald ” came out on Nov. 16, 2018. It’s been assumed that the studio would release the next movie in November, 2020, but the delay in starting production may preclude that from happening.

David Yates is set to direct the third movie with David Heyman, Steve Kloves, Lionel Wigram, and J.K. Rowling producing. The two “Fantastic Beasts” have starred Eddie Redmayne as Newt Scamander, who deals with secret wizard communities during the 1920s. Katherine Waterston, Alison Sudol, Ezra Miller, and Dan Fogler have also starred. Jude Law starred as Albus Dumbledore in the second film, as did Johnny Depp as the villain Grindelwald.

Rowling created the franchise as a spinoff and prequel to the eight-film Harry Potter franchise, which is now referred to as the Wizarding Universe. “Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them” grossed $814 million worldwide and “Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Gindelwald ” pulled in nearly $650 million.

Rowling announced in 2016 that Fantastic Beasts would be a five-film franchise but did not give any details about when the third, fourth, and fifth films would be released. The news about the third film’s production delay was first reported by Deadline Hollywood.

Warner Bros. Pictures has announced the release date for the third Fantastic Beasts film on Nov. 12, 2021. The announcement was made today by Ron Sanders, President, Worldwide Theatrical Distribution and Home Entertainment.

Production on the new film is expected to begin in Spring 2020.

“J.K. Rowling created an awe-inspiring universe that has captivated people of all ages, taking us on an extraordinary magical journey. Warner Bros. is so proud to be the cinematic home of the Wizarding World and is excited about the future of the Fantastic Beasts franchise. We look forward to bringing the third chapter of the five-film series to audiences around the globe in November 2021.” said Sanders.

“We are incredibly excited about and have confidence in the Fantastic Beasts series,” Toby Emmerich, Chairman, Warner Bros. Pictures Group, stated. “We all believe this release date will give the filmmakers time and space to allow their artistry to truly flourish and deliver the best possible film to our fans.”

To date, both Fantastic Beasts movies have grossed $1.47B at the global box office. The series was inspired by the text book which Harry Potter carries at Hogwarts, by Newt Scamander. The films follow Newt during the early 20th century in New York and London as he navigates the world’s secret community of witches and wizards.

EXCLUSIVE: Warner Bros. has greenlit the third Fantastic Beasts movie in the Harry Potter spinoff series with production starting spring 2020. While the regular cast is returning, we hear that comedian and actor Jessica Williams, who was featured briefly in part 2’s Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald, will have a bigger role this time around with her character, Professor Eulalie “Lally” Hicks, a teacher at Ilvermorny School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, the American equivalent of Hogwarts.

Set to return are Eddie Redmayne as Newt Scamander, Jude Law as Albus Dumbledore and Johnny Depp as Gellert Grindelwald along with Ezra Miller (Credence / Aurelius Dumbledore), Alison Sudol (Queenie Goldstein), Dan Fogler (Jacob Kowalski) and Katherine Waterston (Tina Goldstein).

David Yates is directing reteaming with producers David Heyman, J.K. Rowling, Steve Kloves, Lionel Wigram and Tim Lewis, along with executive producers Neil Blair, Danny Cohen, Josh Berger and Courtenay Valenti. The screenplay will be written by J.K. Rowling and Steve Kloves.

As with the first two films, the third will take place on new continents, exploring wizarding cultures across the globe. The first Fantastic Beasts film was set in 1927 NYC, the second in Paris and the third film will be set in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.

Original Fantastic Beasts 3 was to shoot in July 2019, then fall, but the production needed more prep time given how quickly they turned around part Fantastic Beasts and the Crimes of Grindelwald. Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them and Crimes of Grindelwald together made $1.47 billion at the global box office.

Pic opens on Nov. 12, 2021.