Katherine Waterston (‘Inherent Vice’) has scored the female lead opposite Eddie Redmayne in ‘Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them,’ the much-anticipated adventure set in J.K. Rowling’s Wizarding World.
Waterston will play the pivotal role of Tina, short for Porpentina, a witch who—unlike the beloved characters from Rowling’s Harry Potter books—works her magic in the U.S. She meets magizoologist Newt Scamander (played by Redmayne) when he stops in New York City on his travels to find and document magical creatures.
In making the announcement, Greg Silverman, President of Creative Development and Worldwide Production, Warner Bros. Pictures said, “Katherine Waterston is a rising star, who was a revelation in our film ‘Inherent Vice,’ earning the praise of both critics and audiences. We are thrilled to have her back in the Warner Bros. family, especially in one of our most anticipated titles for 2016, ‘Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them.’”
David Yates (director of the last four ‘Harry Potter’ films) will direct from J.K. Rowling’s screenplay, inspired by Newt Scamander’s Hogwarts textbook Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them. Ms. Rowling is an acknowledged authority on all things magical, having authored the Harry Potter series of books.
The film is being produced by David Heyman, producer of all eight of the blockbuster ‘Harry Potter’features; J.K. Rowling; Steve Kloves, who scripted all but one of the ‘Harry Potter’ films; and Lionel Wigram, who served as an executive producer on the last four installments of the franchise.