The beauty of this first Harry Potter spin-off, Fantastic Beasts and Where To Find Them, is that it’s based on a textbook. A textbook that nowhere near as many fans have read as the main book series. That means there aren’t really any expectations fans should have, at least based on the book. Rowling is free to do what she wants with the film and the execs over at Warner Bros. are free to cast absolutely whomever they see fit. They can get as creative as they want with this, without having to stick to the restrictions of extensive character building that happens in a novel.
It’s rumored that the film’s main character, Newt Scamander, will be in his 20s and in New York just after graduating from Hogwarts. But really, there is very little known for sure about the character, and I think they may be better to go with a slightly older, more weathered character. For that reason, there’s an endless array of actors who could take on the role. Obviously the casting on this one is going to be huge. This is the film that may determine the fate of the the future of the expanded Harry Potter universe. There’s no doubt this film is going to draw crowds, purely based on the popularity of the Harry Potter franchise, but if it’s actually a quality movie, well, that could lead to endless more films set in that magical world.
The casting of the lead is the first thing Warner Bros. really needs to worry about, and it’s going to be the most publicly speculated until it happens. For that reason, I’ve decided to do my part to aid the big brass over there with their decision by creating a list of 5 actors that I think would be ideal in the role. I’ve included a couple younger actors, fitting the main rumored description, and a few others who are a bit older. You’ll also notice most of the names that I’ve included are of fairly prominent actors. Granted, the studio could go with an unknown to lead this film, but that hasn’t been their approach so far. Sure, Harry, Hermione, and Ron were all unknown when they were cast, but they were merely kids, so who else was going to get cast? All the older, supporting roles were given to fairly well-known actors, and most of them worked out extremely well. If there’s one thing this franchise has excelled at above everything else, it’s casting, and I expect that’ll continue with this film.
So without further ado, read on for 5 actors who could play Newt Scamander in Fantastic Beasts And Where To Find Them.
