**Update: **Variety brings word that Redmayne is in talks for the film, though we'll have to wait for an official statement on the subject to see if he makes a deal.
The spirit of the **Harry Potter **cinematic universe is alive and well at Warner Bros., with the studio going full speed ahead on the first of a planned trilogy based on J.K. Rowling’s book Fantastic Beasts And Where To Find Them. With Potter veteran director David Yates aboard, the film might have found its leading man. Newly minted Oscar winner Eddie Redmayne is Warners’ top choice{
The first Fantastic Beasts film, adapted by Rowling from her novella, already has a set date of November 18, 2016, with the sequels penciled in for 2018 and 2020.
That initial film and its follow-ups will be very loosely based on Rowling's universe-expanding textbook about magical creatures. It’s set in the wizarding world and boasts creatures and characters both new and familiar to Potter but is not a direct prequel to the current stories, instead set 70 years before Harry sets foot in Hogwarts. That puts the setting somewhere around 1921, featuring Magizoologist and credited author of the book Newt Scamander (Redmayne, if he signs).
Redmayne most recently reunited with his** Les Miserables **director Tom Hooper for The Danish Girl, which will be out here on January 1 next year.