An estimated 25,000 girls under the age of 12 have turned up a London’s ExCeL conference centre to audition for a role in the upcoming Harry Potter spin-off Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them. The mile long queue of girls are competing for one role in the upcoming movie which is set to begin shooting next month.

Eddie RedmayneEddie Redmayne is playing the lead role in Fantastic Beasts.

Producers are looking for a young actress aged between eight and 12, for the role of Modesty a key character in the film adaptation of Rowling’s story. In a character description sent out by studio Warner Bros, Modesty was said to posses the 'ability to see deep into people and understand them’. The character was also described as being ‘a haunted young girl with an inner strength and stillness’.

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According to the Evening Standard the would-be actresses had begun queuing at 3am and the initial plan was to end auditions with a strict cut-off point at 1pm today. However due to the enormous turnout the audition time will most likely be extended.

Speaking to Sky News one young hopeful said she’d ‘basically just been preparing how to say my name and a bit about myself’ while waiting in line all day. Another said it was ‘extremely unlikely’ they’d land the role because of the high turn out, but added it would be ‘amazing’ if they were cast.

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Set 70 years before the birth of Harry Potter, Fantastic Beasts will feature a whole new cast of characters led by Eddie Redmayne as as Newt Scamander. The film is set to begin shooting in August with production continuing until January. Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them is due for release on November 18th 2016.