The cast of JK Rowling‘s Harry Potter spinoff Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them has added another name to their ranks opposite Eddie Redmayne.
Actress Katherine Waterston joins the film as Tina, short for Porpentina, a witch. Unlike the characters in Rowling’s beloved Harry Potter books, Tina is an American. Magizoologist Newt Salamander (Eddie Redmayne) meets Waterston’s character when he visits New York City on his journey finding and documenting magical creatures.
Fans of the book may know that there are two other major roles: Jacob, the main “rival” of Newt Scalamander and Queenie, Tina’s more grounded younger sister. Warner Brothers has yet to make any announcements on who will portray these individuals.
Katherine Waterston in Inherent Vice
While a relative newcomer to film, Waterston was most recently seen in Paul Thomas Anderson’s drama Inherent Vice. The actress showed phenomenal range with the role and gave a nuanced, layered performance that gained attention from critics and audiences alike. If Waterston can tackle tough material from a film based off a Thomas Pynchon novel (an author who is known for very heavy, intellectual works), then we’re fully confident she can take on the challenge of Fantastic Beasts. She’s more than capable of playing tough, independent women and can translate that same strength to Rowling’s magical universe.
David Yates is set to direct the flick, with Rowling herself writing the screenplay for the film. Taking place in New York City seven years before the Harry Potter series starts, Fantastic Beasts is based on a Hogwarts textbook of the same name and accompanies its author, Newt Scalamander. Scalamander travels around the globe studying magical creatures.
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