Eddie Redmayne In Talks For ‘Harry Potter’ Spinoff

Oscar winner Eddie Redmayne may be joining the Harry Potter franchise.

Variety reports that the Theory of Everything actor was offered the role of Newt Scamander in Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them, a Harry Potter spinoff film.

Redmayne was Warner Bros.’ first choice for the role, but the actor reportedly wanted to read a completed script for the film before committing to the project. Now that he has read a finished script, sources says he is pleased with it.

Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them is being penned by J.K. Rowling and will be directed David Yates. The film will be the first of a trilogy.

The film is set in New York 70 years before the Harry Potter films and follows the adventures of Newt Scamander, a researcher who writes a textbook about the magical creatures of the wizarding world.

Redmayne can next be seen in Tom Hooper’s The Danish Girl, which hits theaters in November.