Former Timelord Matt Smith is rumored to be in contention for the lead role in Fantastic Beasts And Where To Find Them. According to a report (via MTV News), the Doctor Who star is “tipped for the role” after Benedict Cumberbatch apparently turned it down. The two sources cited in MTV’s post – The Sun and the Irish Examiner – don’t boast the best track record when it comes to solid intel, but there is still the possibility that Smith may indeed be in talks.
Should this rumor bear any weight, then Smith will be tackling the role of Newt Scamander, an author whose work is heavily referenced throughout the Potterverse. J.K. Rowling penned the script for the upcoming movie based on her own story, which is set in the same wizarding world that first spawned Harry Potter. Those hoping for cheeky cameos from franchise favorites will be sorely disappointed, however, as the story is set eighty years before the events in the Harry Potter novels.
That doesn’t mean there won’t be strains of those earlier films in Fantastic Beasts, though. David Yates, who directed the last four Potter movies, is back at the helm, David Heyman, who produced all of the Potter flicks, will produce, and production designer Stuart Craig is also reprising his duties.
Production on Fantastic Beasts And Where To Find Them is expected to begin this summer. Until any solid casting confirmations are announced, check out Warner Bros.’ statement on the forthcoming trilogy and be sure to let us know what you think of Matt Smith as Scamander?
The Studio will release three pictures, in 2016, 2018 and 2020, based on best-selling author J.K. Rowling’s original story and screenwriting debut, “Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them.” Set in an extension of her familiar wizarding world, featuring magical creatures and characters inspired by Harry Potter’s Hogwarts textbook and its fictitious author, Newt Scamander, “Fantastic Beasts” will be directed by David Yates, who directed the last four Harry Potter movies, and reunite the filmmaking team of David Heyman, J.K. Rowling, Steve Kloves and Lionel Wigram.