'Harry Potter' Spinoff to Star Eddie Redmayne?

By Dondi Tiples, Christian Post Contributor Thursday, May 14, 2015

Eddie Redmayne in currently in talks for the lead role in the "Harry Potter" spinoff movie, "Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them."

Oscar winner Eddie Redmayne is in negotiations to play Newt Scamander, the author of a textbook used by Harry Potter and his classmates, which will be the subject of a film adaptation for J.K. Rowling's "Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them."

The story, set in New York 70 years prior to the events of Harry Potter, details the adventures of magizoologist Scamander in his quest to discover and classify various magical beasts and mystical creatures that exist in the Harry Potter universe.

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Redmayne, 33, who won an Oscar for his portrayal of theoretical physicist and ALS sufferer, Stephen Hawking in the 2014 biopic, "The Theory of Everything," has been pegged as Warner Bros. number choice to play Newt Scamander. He reportedly has already read the script written by "Harry Potter" author, J.K. Rowling.

According to Rowling, "Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them" will be an extension of the Harry Potter wizarding world, and should neither be considered a sequel nor a prequel.

Rowling's name does not appear on the book, which is purported to have been written by Scamander, which illustrates and describes 75 magical species of beasts scattered around the world.

Based on the novel, Scamander authors the book which contains detailed information collated during his travels across five continents, and is depicted as required textbook reading for first-year Hogwarts students in the "Harry Potter" universe.

David Yates, who helmed the four final "Harry Potter" films will be directing the upcoming project, with Rowling, who also serves as screenwriter, having already completed the first screenplay for the film.

Redmayne, who is fresh from the critically panned "Jupiter Ascending" in January, is currently generating Oscar buzz for his portrayal as Lili Elbe, a pioneering transgender artist in the 1930s in Tom Hooper's "Danish Girl."