|
Redmayne, 33, who won a best actor Oscar this year for his
role as Stephen Hawking in "The Theory of Everything," will play
magizoologist Newt Scamander, "who in his travels has
encountered and documented a myriad of magical creatures,"
Warner Bros said this week.
The tale is set in New York, 70 years before the saga of boy
wizard "Harry Potter," and is described as neither a prequel or
sequel, but rather an extension of author J.K. Rowling's popular
Wizarding World of magic.
Time Warner Inc-owned Warner Bros has announced three "Fantastic
Beasts" films that will follow the adventures of Newt Scamander.
Rowling, who will make her screenwriting debut with "Fantastic
Beasts," is one of the world's best-selling authors. Her seven
"Harry Potter" novels have sold more than 450 million copies
around the world, and spawned an eight-part film franchise that
grossed more than $7 billion at the worldwide box office.
(Reporting by Piya Sinha-Roy; Editing by David Gregorio)
[© 2015 Thomson Reuters. All rights
reserved.] Copyright 2015 Reuters. All rights reserved. This material may not be published,
broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
|
|
