Production for Matrix 4 and Fantastic Beasts 3 halted as coronavirus spreads

Last Updated on August 2, 2021

Warner Bros. has decided to halt production on Lana Wachowski's fourth installment of The Matrix franchise, and has postponed production on the third chapter of the Harry Potter spin-off film series, Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them.

To begin, The Matrix sequel recently moved its production from San Francisco to Berlin, and had been preparing to shoot this week in Germany. Unfortunately, due to the coronavirus pandemic that is sweeping the globe, filming will now be postponed until further notice. News of production being shuttered on The Matrix sequel comes on the heels of Donald Trump announcing restrictions that forbid travel between Europe and the United States. Faced with the restrictions, as well the threat of exposing cast and crew to the disease, WB execs motioned to delay the shoot indefinitely.

By that same token, production for FANTASTIC BEASTS 3 was expected to begin on Monday in the U.K., though we've recently learned that the studio will hold off on shooting the fantasy adventure sequel until the location is declared "safe for filming" by the powers that be.

While both films are sure to be impacted by the delay, Warner Bros. has yet to determine if the postponment will have an effect on either project's release date.