‘Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them’ Cast, Updates: Zoe Kravitz Joins Eddie Redmayne in ‘Harry Potter’ Spin-Off Film; New Creatures Introduced

‘Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them’ casts Zoe Kravitz of ‘Divergent Series’ fame. She joins Eddie Redmayne and other big names in the entertainment industry in the upcoming ‘Harry Potter’ spin-off film intended as the first in a planned trilogy. The film will also introduced brand new creatures in author J.K. Rowling’s magical world.

According to an article on Ad Week’s Galley Cat, Kravitz has officially joined the ensemble cast of David Yates’ upcoming live-action adaptation of J.K. Rowling’s ‘Harry Potter’ spin-off book of the same name. Although Kravitz’ character is yet to be confirmed, she is set to star alongside fellow castmates Eddie Redmayne, Ezra Miller, Colin Farrell, Ron Perlman, Jon Voight, Katherine Waterston, and Samantha Morton among others.

It was reported by /Film that Kravitz was added to the cast after production commenced. Her role may be a minor one in the upcoming film but she may become a key character in future installments in the cinematic series.

The 27-year old actress, model and singer is best known for her role as Christina in the ‘Divergent’ live-action series. She made her film debut on Scott Hicks’ romantic-drama ‘No Reservations’ released in 2007 and went on to worked on other projects such as Showtime’s comedy-drama television series ‘Californication’, Matthew Vaughn’s superhero film ‘X-Men: First Class’, M. Night Shyamalan’s science-fiction action film ‘After Earth’, Rick Famuyiwa’s crime-comedy film ‘Dope’, and George Miller’s  action film ‘Mad Max: Fury Road’.

Yate’s upcoming film is set in the same universe as the ‘Harry Potter’ films but will precede them by 70 years. It follows the adventures of magizoologist Newt Scamander, portrayed by Redmayne, as he arrives in New York in the 1920s. The stopover proves to be a chaotic one as creatures inside his magical case are set loose.

An article on Geek.com highlighted some of the magical beasts and creatures featured in the film. One such creature is the Thunderbird, a massive avian creature similar to a Hippogriff that possesses multiple wings that flap to create storms. Another creature is named the Swooping Evil, a dangerous winged being encased in a green cocoon that is capable of erasing bad memories with its venom.

Other creatures are the primate-like Demiguise, the feathered Occamy, and Bowtruckles of the woodlands.

‘Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them’ is an upcoming adventure-fantasy film directed by David Yates with a screenplay written by J.K. Rowling. It is scheduled to be released on November 18, 2016.

It is intended as the first film in a planned trilogy of ‘Harry Potter’ spin-off films. The original films starring Daniel Radcliff, Emma Watson and Rupert Grint proved to be massive box office success, collectively earning $7.73 billion at the worldwide.