Eddie Redmayne Will Return As Fantastic Beasts' Newt Scamander, Harry Potter's Epic Universe New Look Released

Summary Eddie Redmayne will reprise Newt Scamander in Epic Universe's Ministry of Magic despite franchise setbacks.

The park merges timelines from Harry Potter films and Fantastic Beasts, which are set in 1920s Paris and 1990s London.

The marquee attraction at the Ministry of Magic will feature a Dolores Umbridge trial with omnidirectional technology.

Fantastic Beasts star Eddie Redmayne will be reprising his role as Newt Scamander in Universal Orlando’s upcoming theme park. Epic Universe's The Wizarding World of Harry Potter - Ministry of Magic is being teased as the most elaborate themed land out of the park’s five areas and will merge timelines from the eight Harry Potter films and three Fantastic Beasts movies. All the narratives will take place in a version of 1920s Paris and 1990s London, where guests will travel via the Métro Floo transportation network.

Entertainment Weekly reported that Fantastic Beasts star Redmayne will reprise the role of Newt Scamander for the upcoming Ministry of Magic land. The details revealed that the actor had already filmed his portion, which will be featured at the park. The update comes after Universal recently unveiled more footage of the themed land, giving a glimpse of the shops and attractions. Check out the post that teases the upcoming park below:

In October 2023, David Yates said that the fourth Fantastic Beasts film has been “parked” and that development won’t continue for the franchise, which was initially planned as a five-movie saga.

Why Epic Universe's Ministry Of Magic Acknowledges Fantastic Beasts Despite Prequel Series Setbacks

Newt Has A History With The French Ministry Of Magic.

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Therefore, Redmayne’s return as Newt comes as a surprise, but it's unclear whether the footage was filmed before Secrets of Dumbledore's release in 2022.

The seeming discontinuation of the Harry Potter spin-off franchise could be attributed to the controversy surrounding Harry Potter author J.K. Rowling and Warner Media’s decision to reboot the franchise with an HBO series. Most importantly, each installment of the spin-off franchise had underwhelming performances at the box office and with audiences, further leading to the abandoned plans. Given Yates' update about Fantastic Beasts 4 being parked, it seems the franchise will remain unfinished. Therefore, Redmayne’s return as Newt comes as a surprise, but it's unclear whether the footage was filmed before Secrets of Dumbledore's release in 2022.

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The Ministry of Magic’s marquee attraction will be Harry Potter and the Battle at the Ministry, which will use omnidirectional technology to take travelers on a journey that will move in all kinds of directions and feature the trial of Dolores Umbridge, who’s played by Imelda Staunton in the films. The ride will take attendees from Paris to the British Ministry of Magic to witness the trial, taking them through the organization’s iconic grand atrium, as seen in the films, and to the trial, when things go awry with Umbridge’s attempt to escape.

Riders will be accompanied by the franchise’s three main characters Harry Potter (Daniel Radcliffe), Ron Weasley (Rupert Grint), Hermione Granger (Emma Watson), and a house elf named Higgedly. It’s currently unclear as to how Fantastic Beasts' Newt (Redmayne) will feature in Ministry of Magic land, but the character did visit the organization when he had to raid the French Ministry of Magic for the Lestrange family records from the archive in an attempt to save Credence (Ezra Miller) from the misled vengeance of Yusuf Kama (William Nadylam). Nevertheless, it would be refreshing to see Redmayne don Newt once more.

Source: Entertainment Weekly