English actor Eddie Redmayne has been cast as the central character in the highly-anticipated Harry Potter prequel, Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them. Redmayne, who portrayed Stephen Hawking in 2014’s The Theory of Everything, will take on J.K. Rowling’s Newt Scamander for the film.
Warner Bros. Pictures confirmed Monday that the Oscar-winning Redmayne will play Scamander, whose travels see him document a plethora of magical creatures, leading him to write the Hogwarts School textbook, Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them.
Rowling will make her screenwriting debut on the Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them film, with four-time Harry Potter director David Yates to helm the new movie. Yates says Redmayne is a great fit for the role of Newt Scamander, and he has Rowling’s blessing.
“Eddie is a fearless actor, brimming with invention, wit and humanity,” Yates says. “I couldn’t be more excited about the prospect of working with him as we start this new adventure in J.K. Rowling’s wonderful world, and I know she feels the same way.”
Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them will get a worldwide release in 3D and IMAX on 18th November 2016, and is expected to be the first in a trilogy of films.
