Eddie Redmayne Answers Call of the Wild in the New ‘Fantastic Beasts’

OSCAR Best Actor winner Eddie Redmayne returns in the epic fantasy adventure “Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore,” the newest adventure in the Wizarding World™ created by J.K. Rowling.

In the film, Professor Albus Dumbledore (Jude Law) knows the powerful Dark wizard Gellert Grindelwald (Mads Mikkelsen) is moving to seize control of the wizarding world.

Unable to stop him alone, he entrusts Magizoologist Newt Scamander (Eddie Redmayne) to lead an intrepid team of wizards, witches and one brave Muggle baker on a dangerous mission, where they encounter old and new beasts and clash with Grindelwald’s growing legion of followers.

But with the stakes so high, how long can Dumbledore remain on the sidelines?

“I was thrilled that we finally get to see Newt where he’s at his best and happiest—out in the wild, tracking beasts,” Eddie Redmayne states.

“One of the things I’ve always loved about Newt is the seeming anomaly between his physicality, mixed with his slight social awkwardness, and his facility and dexterity when he’s in the field.  I’d been appealing to David Yates to show more of that.”

Director David Yates attests, “Eddie is a transformative actor who loves to dive deep into every aspect of his character.  He was excited about showing Newt’s anthropological skill set, trekking through the jungle to find the beautiful, mysterious Qilin (pronounced as “chillin.”)     

“We’ve never seen Newt in the wild before, and it makes for a fun way to open our journey with him in this particular story.”              

“Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore” continues the series’ tradition of crossing new borders in the wizarding world.  The adventure circles the globe—from China to Great Britain, from New York to Germany, and from the Austrian Alps to Bhutan.  The movie also takes audiences back to the beloved Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry and the nearby village of Hogsmeade.

Redmayne says that the juxtaposition of the wizarding and non-magical world “has always appealed to me—this idea that alongside the world we’re living in, brushing shoulders with us through that wall, is another entire universe that is one of magic and adventure.  It ignites that sense of childlike wonder that anything could be possible.  And to see that unfold in other countries beyond the UK has been astounding.”  Warner Bros. Pictures presents a Heyday Films Production, a David Yates film, “Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore.”

The film opens in cinemas across the Philippines on Saturday, April 16 and distributed worldwide in select theatres and IMAX by Warner Bros. Pictures.

Join the conversation online and use the hashtag #SecretsOfDumbledore

(ROHN ROMULO)