British actor Eddie Redmayne, who emerged Best Actor in the recent Academy Awards, is set to lead the cast of the Harry Potter spinoff “Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them.”
In a statement on Monday, Warner Bros. Pictures confirmed Redmayne would play the role of Newt Scamander, “the Wizarding World’s preeminent magizoologist” and fictitious author of the book where the film would be based.
“We are thrilled to welcome him (Redmayne) into J.K. Rowling’s Wizarding World, where we know he will deliver a remarkable performance as Newt Scamander, the central character in Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them,” said Greg Silverman, Warner Bros. Pictures’ president of creative development and worldwide production.
“Fantastic Beasts,” Scamander’s history book that mainly contained his adventures and encounters with magical creatures, was mentioned in the first Harry Potter novel, “Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone.” A book of the same title was published by Rowling in 2001 under the pseudonym of Newt Scamander.
In a previous statement, Rowling said “Fantastic Beasts” would start 70 years before the Harry Potter series, but added that it was “neither a prequel nor a sequel” to the wizard’s tale.
Rowling said the idea of adapting “Fantastic Beasts” into a film originated from Warner Bros., but decided she would write the screenplay herself as she felt “very protective” of her fictional universe.
Warner Bros. is behind the entire Harry Potter series film adaptations as well as the Harry Potter studio tours in London, theme park in Florida and the Pottermore website.
“Eddie Redmayne has emerged as one of today’s most extraordinarily talented actors,” Silverman added.
Redmayne won the lead actor Oscar in the 87th Academy Awards for his portrayal of world-renowned physicist Stephen Hawking.
“Fantastic Beasts,” anticipated to be the first in a trilogy, is set to be released on Nov. 18, 2016. It will be directed by David Yates, who is also behind four Harry Potter films. YG/RC