Four-Time 'Harry Potter' Director David Yates in Talks to Helm 'Fantastic Beasts' Spinoff

David Yates isn't ready to disappear from the Harry Potter universe. The guy who directed the final three Harry Potter films is in talks to direct the first movie based on JK Rowling's Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them.

Variety reported on Thursday that "no deal has been made but insiders confirm [Yates and Warner Bros.] are in negotiations." The studio envisions Fantastic Beasts as a trilogy that will be set seven decades before the Harry Potter series.

Yates spent more time in the Harry Potter universe than any other director, helming Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince and both parts of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows. There were reports in May that Warner Bros. was in talks with Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban director Alfonso Cuaron to direct Fantastic Beasts, but that development fell through.

The first installment of Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them will open on Nov. 18, 2016.