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03/28/2024 12:39:22 pm

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Oscar Winner Eddie Redmayne To Set Foot In Harry Potter’s World As Newt Scamander

Eddie Redmayne receives his first Oscars.

(Photo : Reuters / Mike Blake)

The wizarding world that helped create a generation of young readers is once again set to take Potterheads to another adventure, this time highlighting the life of fictitious author Newt Scamander. And who else better portray the famed magizoologist than the award-winning British actor Eddie Redmayne.

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In an article by BBC, Warner Bros. Pictures' Creative Development and Worldwide Production president Greg Silverman told how thrilled they were to have Redmayne on board. After all, the "Theory of Everything" star is the first choice for the role, according to Deadline.

Newt Scamander is a wizard who lived 70 years before the story of Harry Potter began. His early interest in magical beasts and research travels led him to become respected in the field of magizoology, or simply the study of magical creatures. Under patronage, Scamander wrote the first edition of "Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them." Decades later, toward the birth of Harry, Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry approved it as a textbook.

"Eddie Redmayne has emerged as one of today's most extraordinarily talented and acclaimed actors . . . we know he will deliver a remarkable performance as Newt Scamander," Silverman delightedly shared with E! Online.

Redmayne bagged numerous awards for his portrayal of British theoretical physicist Stephen Hawking. Among his accolades are from Oscars, Bafta, Golden Globe, and Screen Actors Guild. Before putting on a wizard's hat, Redmayne portrays the character of a transgender artist in the real-life drama "The Danish Girl" on theaters this November.

Diverging from the customary London setting of every movie franchise's beginning, Scamander's story will take off from New York, according to J. K. Rowling's Facebook post in 2013. Rowling also clarified that the movie is neither a prequel nor a sequel to Harry's adventures.   

In October of last year, Warner Bros. announced that the spinoff will be featured as a trilogy. The first installment is projected to be released on November 18, 2016, in 3D and Imax cinemas worldwide. David Yates, who helmed the last four Harry Potter movies, is set to direct "Fantastic Beasts" as well. The film is said to be Rowling's screenplay debut.

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