Eddie Redmayne will star in Harry Potter spinoff Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them, Warner Bros has officially confirmed.
The actor will play pre-eminent Wizarding World magizoologist, Newt Scamander, who writes the famous Hogwarts School textbook that gives the film its title.
JK Rowling is making her screenwriting debut on Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them.
The film’s director David Yates said: “Eddie is a fearless actor, brimming with invention, wit and humanity.”
David Yates added: “I couldn’t be more excited about the prospect of working with him as we start this new adventure in JK Rowling’s wonderful world, and I know she feels the same way.”
JK Rowling’s Fantastic Beasts book, which was published in 2001, is set 70 years before the events of her bestselling Harry Potter series.
The movie follows the adventures of magizoologist Newt Scamander – a specialist in magical animals – who travels the Wizarding World to document the beasts he encounters.
Newt Scamander writes a book – Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them – which is then studied years later by Hogwarts students such as Harry, Ron and Hermoine.
David Yates previously directed the final four Harry Potter films, while producer David Heyman – who worked on all eight of the blockbusters – will produce the film.
Greg Silverman from Warner Bros Pictures said they were “thrilled” to have cast Eddie Redmayne – who had been widely rumored to take the part – calling him “one of today’s most extraordinarily talented and acclaimed actors”.
Earlier this year Eddie Redmayne won the best actor Oscar, a BAFTA, a Golden Globe and a Screen Actors Guild award for his performance as Stephen Hawking in biopic The Theory of Everything.
Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them is expected to be released in 3D and Imax worldwide on November 18, 2016.
Birdman won best film and best director for Mexican film-maker Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu at last night’s Academy Awards ceremony in Los Angeles.
It also won best cinematography and best original screenplay.
The movie sees Michael Keaton play a former movie superhero actor, who hopes to revive his washed-up career by putting on a Broadway play.
Eddie Redmayne has won the best actor Oscar for The Theory of Everything, while Julianne Moore picked up best actress for Still Alice.
The British actor thanked his “staggering partner in crime”, co-star Felicity Jones, and his “ferocious but incredibly kind director James Marsh”.
Julianne Moore used her speech to raise awareness for Alzheimer’s disease – in Still Alice, she plays a 50-year-old who has early on-set Alzheimer’s.
Eddie Redmayne was honored for his portrayal of physicist Stephen Hawking, who has motor neurone disease (ALS).
Accepting his award, the actor thanked the Hawking family, including Jane Hawking on whose book the film is based, and said his award belonged “to all of the people around the world battling ALS”.
Richard Linklater’s Boyhood won just one award from six nominations – best supporting actress – which went to Patricia Arquette.
Patricia Arquette thanked “her Boyhood family” and “every woman who gave birth”.
“To every woman… we have fought for everybody else’s equal rights. It’s our time to have wage equality,” she added, to huge applause from the audience.
JK Simmons won best supporting actor for Whiplash, in which he played a strict drumming teacher at a music conservatory.
Whiplash also won the award for best editing and best sound mixing.
The Grand Budapest Hotel picked up best costume design (Milena Canonero), as well as best hair and make-up (British duo Frances Hannon and Mark Coulier). It also won best score and production design.
Frances Hannon thanked absent actor Bill Murray – who has a cameo in the film – for introducing her to director Wes Anderson on the set of his film Rushmore 17 years earlier.
Matt Kirkby and James Lucas, picked up the award for best live short action film, The Phone Call, starring Sally Hawkins and Jim Broadbent.
Alan Turing drama The Imitation Game, starring Benedict Cumberbatch, won best adapted screenplay.
Best foreign language film went to Polish black and white family drama Ida.
John Legend and Common’s track Glory, from civil rights drama Selma, won best song.
Emmanuel Lubezko’s win for best cinematography for Birdman was his second Oscar in as many years – in 2014, he won the same award for his work on Gravity.
Citizenfour, which chronicles one of the biggest intelligence leaks in American history, won best documentary feature.
It shows former NSA contractor Edward Snowden at the very moment he made his sensational revelations detailing extensive internet and phone surveillance by the US government.
Best documentary short was won by Crisis Hotline: Veterans Press 1, about the counselors who work with military veterans on a 24-hour phone helpline.
Clint Eastwood’s Iraq war drama American Sniper won the award for best sound editing.
The 87th Academy Awards took place at Hollywood’s 3,300-seat Dolby Theatre.
Performers at this year’s ceremony included Lady Gaga – who sang a medley of Sound of Music songs to celebrate the classic film’s 50th year – Jennifer Hudson and Anna Kendrick.
Host Neil Patrick Harris kicked off with a song which paid homage to Hollywood’s film industry, accompanied by Kendrick and Jack Black.
There were eight contenders for best picture:
- American Sniper
- Birdman
- Boyhood
- The Grand Budapest Hotel
- The Imitation Game
- Selma
- The Theory of Everything
- Whiplash
Birdman and Wes Anderson’s quirky comedy The Grand Budapest Hotel began the night with nine nominations each. The Imitation Game had eight.
Clint Eastwood’s American Sniper and Boyhood had six apiece.
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Eddie Redmayne has won the best actor prize at this year’s BAFTA Film Awards for his role as in The Theory of Everything.
The Theory of Everything was also named outstanding British film and won a third award for its adapted screenplay.
Age drama Boyhood – shot over 12 years with the same cast – was named best film, with Richard Linklater picking up best director prize.
Patricia Arquette also won the best supporting actress BAFTA for her role in Boyhood.
The ceremony at London’s Royal Opera House on Sunday night was hosted by Stephen Fry.
Photo Getty Images
Julianne Moore won the leading actress prize for her performance as a linguistics professor with early-onset Alzheimer’s in Still Alice.
Wes Anderson’s comedy The Grand Budapest Hotel won the most awards on the night – a total of five including costume design, production design, make-up and original music; with Anderson winning his first BAFTA for original screenplay.
Jazz drumming drama Whiplash also took three awards – for editing, sound and supporting actor for JK Simmons, who thanked director Damien Chazelle for “the gift of this character”.
World War Two drama The Imitation Game, with Benedict Cumberbatch as codebreaker Alan Turing, won nothing despite its nine nominations.
Showbiz satire Birdman, staring Michael Keaton as a washed up superhero actor, took only one award – for Emmanuel Lubezki’s cinematography.
The obituary section also paid tribute to Robin Williams, Billie Whitelaw and Lauren Bacall – among others – who died in the past year.
The Lego Movie, which caused a shock by being snubbed by the Oscars, was named best animated film.
Unbroken actor Jack O’Connell won the Rising Star award, the only one of the awards to be voted for by the public.
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Eddie Redmayne has won best actor at this year’s Screen Actors Guild awards raising his chances of Oscars success after beating favorite Michael Keaton to win.
The recipient has gone on to win the equivalent Oscar for the last 10 years.
Eddie Redmayne took the award for his role in The Theory of Everything.
Michael Keaton and the rest of the Birdman cast did, however, win the award for best ensemble cast at Sunday’s ceremony.
There were also prizes for Oscar hopefuls Julianne Moore, Patricia Arquette and JK Simmons.
In a year when the lack of diversity at awards ceremonies has been under the spotlight, black actresses won the two major acting prizes in the TV categories for the first time in history.
Viola Davis was named outstanding lead actress in a drama for How to Get Away With Murder, while Uzo Aduba was honored for her role in Orange is the New Black.
The Netflix series, set in a women’s prison, also won best comedy ensemble cast.
Downton Abbey won best ensemble cast in a TV drama for a second time.
The SAG awards are seen as a strong indicator of who will win at the Oscars because actors make up the largest portion of the Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences.
Michael Keaton had been expected to pick up the best actor award but was beaten by Eddie Redmayne, who plays a young Stephen Hawking in The Theory of Everything.
The actor led the Birdman cast on stage to accept the ceremony’s main award – best ensemble cast – and called acting “the ultimate team sport”.
Julianne Moore continued her winning streak by taking home the best actress in a film award for Still Alice, where she plays a professor suffering from early-onset Alzheimer’s.
Other winners included Kevin Spacey for House of Cards and William H. Macy for Shameless.
Mark Ruffalo, who is Oscar-nominated for his film role in Foxcatcher, won best actor in a miniseries or TV movie for his role in A Normal Heart.
Frances McDormand won best actress in the same field for her part in HBO’s Olive Kitteredge.
Debbie Reynolds was honored with a Lifetime Achievement Award, presented by her daughter Carrie Fisher, who joked, “she has been more than a mother to me, not much, but definitely more.”
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