‘Fantastic Beasts’ News: Kate Upton On Actor Shortlist For ‘Harry Potter’ Spinoff?
When Warner Bros. announced back in 2013 that not only would there be a Harry Potter movie spinoff (Fantastic Beasts And Where To Find Them), but that it would be written by Harry Potter author J.K. Rowling, fans were ecstatic. With a world as rich as that described in Rowling’s books, there are an infinite number of tales that could be told, and who’s better qualified to tell them than the one who created that world? Since the announcement, Warner Bros. has also gone on to set release dates for the planned trilogy, with the first Fantastic Beasts film slated for a November, 2016, release.
While that’s still quite a ways away (about a year and a half or so), filming needs to begin in the next several months if it wants to meet that deadline. Reports from last November state that J.K. Rowling has finished the script, and that it’s “wonderful.” The next big step in the process is casting. While Eddie Redmayne has been in talks to play the lead role of Newt Scamander, writer of Harry Potter’s Fantastic Beasts textbook, there are still a number of other roles that need filling out, including that of two female roles, Tina and Queenie.
According to the Wrap, Saoirse Ronan (Hanna, Atonement), Dakota Fanning (Coraline), Lili Simmons (Banshee), and Alison Sudol (Transparent) are all up for the role of Tina, while Kate Upton (The Other Woman), Katherine Waterston (Inherent Vice), and Elizabeth Debicki (The Great Gatsby) are all being considered for Queenie. There is no indication of the nature of these roles in Fantastic Beasts other than the fact that they will be leads, and that Redmayne is expected to read alongside the actresses in their auditions.
Ronan and Fanning are both seasoned actors, so it makes sense they’d be up for a role, but the big surprise here is Kate Upton. While Upton has established herself as a popular model over the past few years, but her acting experience is definitely on the limited side, with her biggest role being in the 2014 romantic comedy The Other Woman. That isn’t to say she’s incapable of taking on the role, but it is interesting that the is considering her for such a high profile role so early on in her career, especially since she’s so well known outside of acting.
What are your thoughts on Kate Upton potentially taking on a role in Fantastic Beasts? Let us know in the comments below!
