Eddie Redmayne will probably star in that Harry Potter spin-off

Eddie Redmayne
(Image credit: Frazer Harrison/Getty Images)

Fresh off his Oscar win for playing Stephen Hawking in The Theory of Everything, Eddie Redmayne has been tapped to star as Newt Scamander in Warner Bros.' upcoming Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them trilogy, which takes place in the Harry Potter universe decades before Harry's adventures at Hogwarts.

According to Variety, Redmayne has already been offered the lead role in the trilogy. Though Redmayne hasn't formally accepted yet, he has long been the studio's first choice, and he was "very happy" with the film's script after a recent read, so a deal is likely on the horizon.

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Scott Meslow

Scott Meslow is the entertainment editor for TheWeek.com. He has written about film and television at publications including The Atlantic, POLITICO Magazine, and Vulture.