The Harry Potter film and book franchise is one of the world’s most popular and commercially successful franchises. The beloved universe has seen various adaptations in several mediums, but most of it has happened on the big screen. Eddie Redmayne played Newt Scamander in the Fantastic Beasts film franchise based on the Harry Potter world for three installments. The films received mixed reactions, and after three films, each performing worse than the last, Fantastic Beasts seems to have died. Redmayne is next starring in the television adaptation of The Day of the Jackal. The actor talked to Comic Book about the series and opened up about Newt’s future on the big screen. Redmayne shared that fans of the films might not see him on the big screen anymore, but the character might pop up in other places, saying,
“I think they probably have [seen the last of Newt]. That was a very frank answer, but yeah. And that’s as far as I know. I mean, you’d have to speak to the people at Warner Bros. and J.K Rowling, but as far as I know, that’s it. I think he may come back in a glimpse in the Universal world in Florida that they’re opening up, in which you may catch a glimpse of what he was up to in Paris.”
What’s Next for ‘Fantastic Beasts,’ ‘Harry Potter,’ and Eddie Redmayne?
While Redmayne was an acclaimed actor before being cast in Fantastic Beasts, the role brought him fresh acclaim when the first film grossed $814 million worldwide. Warner would follow up with a sequel that was not met with similar acclaim, and despite a decent box office haul, the film was overwhelmingly panned. The third film in the franchise performed even worse at the box office. The Secrets of Dumbledore did not meet the expectations viewers had for it despite a strong cast and an established character. The film was released two years ago, and there hasn’t been any news about another movie. Meanwhile, the Harry Potter world moves to the small screen with HBO working on a television series.
Redmayne is set to play The Jackal in Peacock‘s thriller series. Based on Frederick Forsyth‘s novel of the same name, The Day of the Jackal tells the story of a seasoned assassin involved in a cat-and-mouse game with a British Detective, per the official logline below. Forsyth‘s book was first adapted as a feature film in 1973.
An unrivaled and highly elusive lone assassin, the Jackal (Eddie Redmayne), makes his living carrying out hits for the highest fee. But following his latest kill, he meets his match in a tenacious British intelligence officer (Lashana Lynch) who starts to track down the Jackal in a thrilling cat-and-mouse chase across Europe, leaving destruction in its wake.
The series debuts on Peacock with the first five episodes on Thursday, November 14, in the US. The Fantastic Beasts films will also be available to stream on Peacock beginning November 1.
via Collider