It’s official folks, Oscar-winner Eddie Redmayne has been cast as Newt Scamander in the movie adaptation of J.K. Rowling’s Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them.
The film will mark Rowling’s screenwriting debut with David Yates directing and David Heyman producing.
The announcement was made late this afternoon by Greg Silverman, President of Creative Development and Worldwide Production, Warner Bros. Pictures. “Eddie Redmayne has emerged as one of today’s most extraordinarily talented and acclaimed actors. We are thrilled to welcome him 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 Silverman.
Fantastic Beasts will further explore the world of Harry Potter and focuses on the adventures of magizoologist (a wizard who studies magical creatures) Newt Scamander. The film will be set in New York several years before the events in Harry Potter.
Redmayne won an Academy Award for Best Actor in his role as Stephen Hawking in The Theory of Everything and will be next seen The Danish Girl.
The film is slated to for worldwide release on November 18, 2016 in 3D and IMAX.
