'Fantastic Beasts 3' halts production after team member tests positive for COVID-19

Warner Bros. has reportedly suspended the production of Fantastic Beasts 3 after a crew member yielded positive results for COVID-19.

In a statement sent to Deadline, the studio said that filming on the latest Harry Potter spin-off movie has been temporarily put on hold after a team member tested positive for COVID-19.

"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," a spokesperson from Warner Bros. said. "Out of an abundance of caution, Fantastic Beasts 3 paused production and will be back up in accordance with safety guidelines." 

The studio did not disclose the identity of the crew member who tested positive for the disease.

The third Harry Potter spin-off film, which stars Eddie Redmayne and Jude Law, is currently being shot at Warner Bros. Studios in Leavesden, Hertfordshire just outside London. Production of the movie tentpole was slated to begin in March 2020 but was pushed back due to the outbreak of the pandemic.

The film has also faced several issues including J.K. Rowling's controversial remarks and the forced resignation of Johnny Depp after he lost his libel case against The Sun. Depp, who portrayed the role of Gellert Grindelwald in the previous Fantastic Beasts films, has been replaced by Hannibal actor Mads Mikkelsen.

Other cast of the latest installment of Fantastic Beasts includes Katherine Waterston, Dan Fogler, Alison Sudol, Ezra Miller, Callum Turner, William Nadylam, Poppy Corby-Tuech, Jessica Williams and Victoria Yeates.

Fantastic Beasts 3 is set to premiere on July 15, 2022.

(Image courtesy of Warner Bros.)