As expected, Oscar-winner Eddie Redmayne will play the lead role in the Harry Potter spin-off movie Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them. Warner Bros Pictures made the announcement on Monday (June 1).

Eddie RedmyaneEddie Redmayne [R] will follow-up his Oscars success with Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them

Redmayne, who won the Oscar for The Theory of Everything, will play Newt Scamander who discovers magical creatures from the around the world and notes them down in his book - Fantastic Beasts - a textbook for used at Hogwarts. Crucially for Potter fans, the new movie will be written by J.K Rowling herself, while Potter director David Yates will get behind the camera.

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"Eddie is a fearless actor, brimming with invention, wit and humanity," Yates said in a news release.

"I couldn't be more excited about 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."

Fantastic Beats and Where to Find Them is set to form a trilogy, with the first chapter scheduled to be released in theaters on November 18, 2016.

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The eight Harry Potter films remains the highest-grossing film saga of all time, with $7.7bn taken in box office receipts. 

The acquisition of Redmayne is a shrewd move from Warners, given the British star is likely to be part of the Oscars conversation again later this year. He stars in Tom Hooper's upcoming movie The Danish Girl - which is already attracting a strong critical response - in which he plays pioneering transgender artist Lili Elbe, who underwent the first ever gender reassignment surgery in 1930s.