Yates directed "Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them", a 2016 film which is the first in a series of five instalments based on J. K. Rowling's book, set in the world of her "Harry Potter" novels. David Heyman and "Harry Potter" screenwriter Steve Kloves joined Yates and J. K. Rowling in developing the script. The film was released in November 2016, it received generally positive reviews and was a commercial success having grossed $814 million , The film stars Eddie Redmayne, Katherine Waterston, Dan Fogler, Alison Sudol, Ezra Miller, Colin Farrell, and Johnny Depp. Yates directed the 2018 sequel, "" which received mixed critical reception but emerged a box office success having grossed $654 million. In an interview with "The Hollywood Reporter", he stated he was open to directing all five planned films in the "Fantastic Beasts" series.