Eddie Redmayne in talks to join Harry Potter spin-off

Fantastic Beasts And Where To Find Them may have found itself an A-list leading man, with Deadline reporting that Eddie Redmayne is in talks with Warner Bros over the Harry Potter spin-off.

Redmayne has oft been mentioned as the studio’s first choice to play adventurous wizard Newt Scamander, the pioneering author of the magical textbook from which the film takes its name. A formal offer has apparently been made, with the actor currently deliberating over whether to sign on.

The film will be set some 70 years before Harry’s story begins, with the plot following the young Scamander in 1920s New York. The script has been written by none other than J.K. Rowling herself, with the report revealing that the author has now completed a first draft.

Having previously been described by producer David Heyman as the first of a trilogy, and with Potter veteran David Yates already on board to direct, Fantastic Beasts And Where To Find Them will open in the UK and US on 18 November 2016.

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