Good news for Harry Potter and Eddie Redmayne fans: The actor is now officially on board the Harry Potter spin-off movie called "Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them," where he will play magical zoologist Newt Scamander.
The announcement was made by Warner Bros. Pictures President of Creative Development and Worldwide Production Greg Silverman, according to Coming Soon.
"Eddie Redmayne has emerged as one of today's most extraordinarily talented and acclaimed actors," said Silverman. "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.'"
The movie will document the adventures and studies of Scamander, who travels all over the globe to discover an assortment of magical creatures, which leads him to write the Hogwarts School of Magic textbook, Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them.
It will also mark Rowling's screenwriting debut, and will be developed by David Yates, the man who was responsible for the last four Harry Potter films - Order of the Phoenix, Half Blood Prince, as well as Deathly Hallows Part 1 and 2.
Yates is pretty excited to work with award-winning actor Redmayne, who received critical acclaim for his role as Dr. Stephen Hawking in the movie "The Theory of Everything." For that role, he won an Academy Award for Best Actor, as well as awards from the Screen Actors Guild, BAFTA, and Golden Globe Awards.
Earlier than that, he starred as Marius in Tom Hooper's musical adaptation "Les Miserables," starring alongside Hugh Jackman, Anne Hathaway, Amanda Seyfried, and Russell Crowe. Back in 2010, he even won a Tony Award for his performance in "Red," which was his Broadway debut. The actor will next be seen in another Hooper film called "The Danish Girl," which will be released this November.
"Eddie is a fearless actor, brimming with invention, wit and humanity," Yates said. "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 be produced by David Heyman, producer of all eight Harry Potter films; J.K. Rowling; Steve Kloves, who scripted all but one of the Harry Potter films; and Lionel Wigram, who served as an executive producer on the last four installments of the franchise.
The film has been scheduled for worldwide release in 3D and IMAX on November 18, 2016.
