David Yates set to direct all five 'Fantastic Beasts' films

Filmmaker David Yates, who rose to fame by directing the final four films in the Harry Potter movie series, is on board to helm all the Fantastic Beasts films.

The Fantastic Beasts franchise has expanded from three to five films and author JK Rowling will be writing the screenplay for the upcoming movies, according to The Hollywood Reporter.

The 53-year-old director said that he has committed to Warner Bros entire prequel series, which stars Eddie Redmayne as magizoologist Newt Scamander.

The first film, Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them, is set in New York and also stars Katherine Waterston, Ezra Miller, Colin Farrell, Ron Perlman, Alison Sudol, Carmen Ejogo and Dan Fogler.

"I love making films, and I've got a great team, all of whom are like family. I only look at it movie to movie," Yates said.

The filmmaker said that Rowling is "putting the finishing touches" on the sequel, which he "feels" is "so different from this first film. Much more haunting, like a dream. What she's doing is really interesting; she's not repeating herself."

Meanwhile, Yates is in preproduction for the second film.

It will introduce a young (and openly gay) Albus Dumbledore and expand on his rival, played by Johnny Depp.

The sequel is scheduled to hit theaters on November 16, 2018 while Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them will release on November 18 in English, Hindi, Tamil and Telugu across India.