What To Know About The 'Fantastic Beasts' Director

In these economically dismal times, a steady paycheck is the ultimate luxury. So is it any wonder that Fantastic Beasts director David Yates is on-board for all five films, according to The Hollywood Reporter? Probably not, but still — after Fantastic Beasts expanded from three to five movies, no one would have blamed Yates if he'd wanted to commit to the films on an individual basis. Update: According to Entertainment Weekly, while Yates is reportedly interested in working on all five future films, this news is not confirmed just yet. So far, he is only signed up to work on the sequel. EW reported, "This doesn’t necessarily rule him out for the others, but Warner Bros. hasn’t formally announced his continued involvement."

Earlier: Yates clearly has a lot of fun adapting Rowling's distinctive vision to the silver screen: He's already directed a grand total of four of the eight Harry Potter films (FYI: Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 1, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 2), so you know he's a safe pair of hands when it comes to knowing his Butterbeer from his boggarts.

So what's the deal with Yates? Why exactly does Hollywood's great and good consider him the right man for the role? For a director with so many high-profile projects, he's done a very capable job of flying under the radar — until now. Here's everything you need to know about the man whose cinematic vision may dominate the next decade for Rowling fans.

1. He's Great At Juggling Vast Numbers Of Actors And Scenes

In an interview with dga.org, Yates revealed that he never shot the Harry Potter movies in any sort of chronologically logic fashion — this simply wasn't possible with so many big name actors involved. He said:

I'm constantly editing, and constantly shooting. Normally, when you're shooting, you have a very intense time frame to get things done, but this rolls on and on and on. You have this weird experience of editing something you shot a year ago, and knowing that it's part of a sequence that won't be finished for another year.

Presumably, this makes him the perfect pick for Fantastic Beasts films, where he'll be juggling the likes of Eddie Redmayne, Zoe Kravitz, Colin Farrell, Samantha Morton, Ezra Miller, and Johnny Depp.

2. The Harry Potter Films Were The First Big Movies He Ever Made

The same interview reveals an unexpected fact: Unlike the other directors on the Harry Potter franchise, Yates had extremely limited experience in filmmaking. While he had made short films and one independent film, The Tichborne Claimant, Yates had never made a mainstream film for cinema.

3. He Did, However, Have A Lot Of Experience In TV

Proving that it's more and more common for directors for TV and film to jump from one field to another: Yates' career. He had a wealth of experience in British television in both shows (such as iconic British cop series, The Bill) and made-for-TV movies (The Young Visiters, Sex Traffic, The Girl In The Cafe).

4. Yates Has Won All The Awards

You don't get to make nine Rowling-backed movies without cleaning up at awards ceremonies, surely. Yates has won awards at the Cork International Film Festival, the San Francisco International Film Festival, Chicago International Film Festival, the BAFTAs (loosely, the British equivalent to the Emmys), as well as being nominated at, um, the Emmys.

5. Commitment Doesn't Make Him Claustrophobic

Well, OK, you might have been able to guess this one — after all, how else could he sign on for several films in a row? “I only look at it movie to movie,” he told the Hollywood Reporter, which seems like a good strategy for not freaking the hell out at the crushing weight of the entire Potterverse's expectations.

Yates sounds reliable, imaginative, good at multi-tasking and playing the long game, cinematically speaking. Is there anyone better for this movie franchise? Well, if you've seen Yates' Harry Potter movies you know as well as I do: nope.