Fantastic Eddie Redmayne (and where to find him!)

He’s hotter property than Park Lane and Mayfair right now, so it’s no surprise that Warner Bros. were quick to sign up Eddie Redmayne to star in the Harry Potter spin-off Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them.

A huge fan of the J.K. Rowling universe himself, the Oscar-winning Brit is understood to be ecstatic at the prospect.

Warner Bros. president Greg Silverman is also as pleased as Punch with the deal, saying: “Eddie Redmayne has emerged as one of today’s most extraordinarily talented and acclaimed actors. We are thrilled to welcome him into J.K. Rowling’s Wizarding World.”

The film’s director, David Yates, who was also in charge of the last four Harry Potter movies, echoed those sentiments: “Eddie is a fearless actor, brimming with invention, wit and humanity. I couldn’t be more excited at the prospect of working with him as we start this new adventure in J.K. Rowling’s wonderful world, and I know she feels the same way.”

The Theory of Everything lead will play Newt Scamander, a leading magizoologist (someone who studies magical animals, for the uninitiated out there) who travels the Wizarding World to document the ‘beasts’ that provide the inspiration for the book Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them. This is what the likes of Harry, Hermione and Ron go on to read at Hogwarts some 70 years later. Having said this, the film will actually be the first in a stand-alone trilogy, with release dates in 2016, 2018 and 2020 slated.

If the prospect of Redmayne landing the starring role wasn’t enough to get fans weak at the knees, the movie will also mark the screenwriting debut of Rowling herself – can November 2016 come quick enough?