'Harry Potter' Spinoff ‘Fantastic Beasts’ To Star ‘Theory of Everything’s Eddie Redmayne

The last time we saw Eddie Redmayne on the big screen he was a genius. Critics and audiences alike lauded him in his role as the tragically wheelchair-ridden Stephen Hawking in the Theory of Everything. Now, Redmayne finds himself in another iconic role albeit a more fictional one when he signed on to the Harry Potter series to be a part of its spinoff. A few weeks ago he was in talks for the lead role in this upcoming film titled the Fantastic Beasts, and, well, it looks like he has officially landed it.

The Theory of Everything star is set to play Newt Scamander, the magizoologist who wrote the textbook Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them. Warner Brothers made the big announcement in a press release on Tuesday, June 2.

 A little difficult to read, but here's the official announcement!

A photo posted by Eddie Redmayne (@eddieposts) on Jun 1, 2015 at 6:13pm PDT

"Redmayne will play J.K. Rowling's creation Newt Scamander, the Wizarding World's preeminent magizoologist, who in his travels has encountered and documented a myriad of magical creatures, ultimately leading to his penning the Hogwarts School textbook Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them," the press release stated.

"Eddie Redmayne has emerged as one of today's most extraordinarily talented and acclaimed actors. We are thrilled to welcome him into J.K. Rowling's Wizarding World, where we know he will deliver a remarkable performance," the film's writer Greg Silverman continued in the press release.

The actor may be the perfect pick for the role of Scamander, having won an Academy Award for Best Actor for his performance in 2014. The Theory of Everything also won him a Screen Actors Guild, BAFTA and Golden Globe awards. In the last few years, Redmayne also had key performances as Marius in Tom Hooper's adaptation of Les Misèrables and even won a Tony Award for his performance in Red, which was his Broadway debut.

Readers, how do you think Eddie Redmayne will fair in the new Harry Potter spinoff?

ITS OFFICIAL! Eddie to star in the Harry Potter spin off! #fantasticbeasts #harrypotter A photo posted by Eddie Redmayne (@eddieposts) on Jun 1, 2015 at 5:44pm PDT