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The franchise, a spin-off from the "Harry
Potter" books and films, stars Oscar winner Eddie Redmayne as "magizoologist"
Newt Scamander.
Filming had begun in September at Warner Bros. Studios in
Leavesden, outside London, after the pandemic delayed a March
2020 start, according to The Hollywood Reporter.
"A team member from Fantastic Beasts 3 has 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 Warner Bros.
Pictures spokesperson said in a statement.
"Out of an abundance of caution, Fantastic Beasts 3 paused
production and will be back up in accordance with safety
guidelines."
The statement gave no further details.
The "Fantastic Beasts" films are set some 70 years before "Harry
Potter" and include younger versions of author J.K. Rowling's
characters such as Albus Dumbledore, played by Jude Law.
The upcoming movie, scheduled for release in July 2022, also
sees Mads Mikkelsen take on the role of evil wizard Gellert
Grindelwald, originally played by Johnny Depp.
Depp was asked to leave the franchise late last year after
losing a libel case against a British tabloid which branded him
a "wife beater".
(This story refiles to fix typo in paragraph 8)
(Reporting by Marie-Louise Gumuchian; Editing by Gareth Jones)
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