'Fantastic Beasts' Sequel Casting Teen Versions Of Newt Scamander, Albus Dumbledore & More
Have you always wanted to be in a Harry Potter movie? Now might be your chance.
Warner Bros. Pictures has put out an open casting call for teenage versions of Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them characters Newt Scamander (Eddie Redmayne) and Leta Lestrange (Zoe Kravitz), as well as wizarding friends turned enemies, Albus Dumbledore (Jude Law) and Gellert Grindelwald (Johnny Depp).
Find out how you can apply for the Fantastic Beasts sequel casting call and what this means for the movie below.
With an open casting call for teenage versions of these four characters (as well as an unknown character named Sebastian), that means that we'll be getting flashbacks of some kind that will give us insight into the relationships of these characters. This means we'll be going even further back in time in the wizarding world.
The relationship between Newt Scamander and Leta Lestrange is one that we know very little about, but knew we would learn more about in a sequel thanks to producer David Yates. In the first installment of the new Fantastic Beasts franchise, it's hinted that Scamander and Lestrange (who has blood ties to the dark wizards who share the surname in the Harry Potter franchise) once had a relationship, but Lestrange seemed to be rather flippant about Scamander's feelings. Whatever happened between them, it was clear that the relationship still weighed heavily on Scamander's mind.
When it comes to Albus Dumbledore and Gellert Grindelwald, we know much more about their history. Though it wasn't explored much in the Harry Potter film franchise, the books provided much more backstory about their friendship that became a rivalry. In fact, it's likely that there's more than friendship between the two since J.K. Rowling revealed that Albus Dumbledore was gay, and hinted that he may have had romantic feelings that blinded him for a time to the dark intentions Grindelwald had for the future.
After the first Fantastic Beasts was released, there was a fan theory that connected one of the key plot points in the movie to something revealed about Dumbledore's past in the Harry Potter books. There's a chance that the flashbacks to the teenage versions of Dumbledore and Grindelwald may confirm that theory, but even if they don't, we'll still learn much more about their past and how it will lead to their eventual battle with each other in 1945.
How to Apply for the Fantastic Beasts Sequel
As for the opening casting call, here are all the details you need. For the roles of Newt, Leta and Sebastian, applicants should be between 13 and 16 years old. Meanwhile, applicants for Grindelwald and Dumbledore should be between 16 and 18. All applicants need to be eligible to work in the United Kingdom (which means you must have a UK, Irish or EU passport) and be available for production from August through November 2017. No acting experience is required!
If you fit these criteria, e-mail casting.prod@wb.uc-ns.com with a recent colour photograph (no older than two months), telephone number, home address and birth date. If you're under 18, make sure to have a parent or guardians send the application for you. The deadline to apply is Tuesday, June 20 at midnight GMT. You'll hear back within 14 days of submitting whether there is interest, otherwise you'll just have to keep waiting for your big break.
Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them 2 arrives on November 16, 2018.