The star of 'The Theory of Everything' is in talks to take the leading role as magiczoologist Newt Scamander in 'Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them'.
- May 13, 2015
AceShowbiz - Eddie Redmayne has entered talks to take part in the "Harry Potter" spin-off, "Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them", sources say. The Oscar-winning actor has been a top choice among several actors to play Newt Scamander, the lead character in the spin-off, and now he has read the script.
Marking J.K. Rowling's screenwriting debut, the film is inspired by Harry Potter's Hogwarts textbook "Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them" which follows Scamander, the schoolbook's fictitious author in the Potterverse. Scamander is described as a "magiczoologist," which in the "Harry Potter" realm is a person who studies magical creatures.
The movie is set 70 years before the events of the "Harry Potter", but it is neither a sequel nor a prequel to the "Harry Potter" series. "Although it will be set in the worldwide community of witches and wizards where I was so happy for 17 years, 'Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them' is neither a prequel nor a sequel to the 'Harry Potter' series but an extension of the wizarding world," Rowling explained.
The film will be a trilogy with David Yates, who directed the last four Harry Potter movies, expected to direct. The movie is planned to hit U.S. theaters on November 18, 2016.
