This seems like old news because it has just been assumed for so long, but Oscar-winner Eddie Redmayne (The Theory of Everything) is now officially set to star in Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them. The Harry Potter prequel is set in New York 70 years before Potter's birth, and centers on magizoologist Newt Scamander, author of one of Potter's school textbooks.
The film will be penned by J.K. Rowling herself and directed by Harry Potter vet, David Yates, as the launch of a brand new franchise. Just how they plan to turn Scamander's adventures documenting magical beasts into a trilogy's worth of stories remains unclear. Saoirse Ronan and Dakota Fanning are reportedly up for the role of his wife, Tina, while a shortlist has also emerged to play his nemesis, Jacob.
Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them opens November 18th 2016.
