How a failed Harry Potter edition gave us the best new character from the wizarding world in the last 15 years

The Harry Potter Movies have a large ensemble cast, and smaller roles outside of the main character afforded many actors the opportunity to be part of the magical world. For some performers, their first audition for a part in the franchise did not lead anywhere, allowing them a more prominent role later. This was the case with Eddie Redmayne, who would take the lead role of Newt Scamander in the spinoff film series Fantastic beasts and where to find them. Although these Fantastic Beasts 4 The movie was canceled, but that doesn’t make Redmayne’s part of the franchise any less significant.

Although Scamander does not play a large role in the original books and movies, his legacy is present in the way magic works in the series. Although Fantastic animals is over, the upcoming HBO TV show that will adapt the Harry Potter Books have the opportunity to develop even more in the universe’s learning. There are plenty of missing ones Harry Potter Book characters that the HBO show must represent, vi It’s the people outside of Harry’s core circle that make the magical universe feel so alive. Each installment of Harry’s story sees new and interesting people added to the story.

Eddie Redmayne originally auditioned for Tom Riddle in the Harry Potter movies

Redmayne’s Harry Potter character would have been vastly different

It’s hard to imagine that Redmayne could take on any part other than the charming and slightly bumbling New Scamander, whose purpose in life is to protect magical creatures. However, if Redmayne had landed the first part he auditioned for, he would have played the biggest villain of the series instead. Redmayne originally auditioned for the role of the teenage Tom Riddle, Which would have seen him cast as the version of Riddle in The Chamber of Secrets (via Fandomwire). The actor discussed how the audition went nowhere since he never got a callback for the part.

However, that was probably for the best, as no one but Redmayne could play Newt. The actor who played Riddle in The Chamber of SecretsChristian Coulson, was a great introduction to the young Voldemort. Coulson’s performance made Voldemort seem like a more concrete character after witnessing the nebulous monster that appeared in The Sorcerer’s Stone. However, since Riddle was played by new actors later in the series in The half-blood princeIIt is unlikely that Redmayne would be brought back as Riddle or cast in another role.

Each actor who played a version of Tom Riddle, with Ralph Fiennes’ adult Voldemort the most famous, brought something unique to the table. Seeing the Dark Lord in different phases in his life helped Harry and the audience better understand him and his motivations. unfortunately, Fiennes was the only actor to play Voldemort in multiple films Because he was in the current timeline of the series, and the others are just memories from a forgotten time. Had Redmayne played Young Riddle, it would have changed the trajectory of the series.

Eddie Redmayne’s failed Tom Riddle audition gave us Newt Scamander

If Redmayne had been cast as Riddle, he never would have become Newt

Newt Scamander is mentioned briefly in the Harry Potter Books Because of his writings on magizoology. The book Fantastic beasts and where to find them appeared as a companion to the Harry Potter series in 2001, and it is here that many of the magical creatures featured in the spinoff series were introduced. There are many missing Harry Potter Magical creatures the HBO reboot may include, as some are mentioned or even shown in the Fantastic animals Books and movies. However, Newt remained a mystery until Redmayne was chosen to bring him to life.

If Redmayne was cast as Riddle in The Chamber of SecretsThere is little chance that he would be brought back into the franchise, especially as a character like Newt. If anything, after playing Riddle, Redmayne would be further typecast in villainous roles, the opposite of Newt. It’s a good thing Redmayne has passed, As the casting directors could probably see that a role like Riddle was not right for Redmayne. It also allowed Redmayne to rise to prominence as an actor before joining the franchise.

yet Winning the Oscar for Best Actor for his performance in The theory of everything, Redmayne’s success and popularity rose, and this only increased after joining the cast of Fantastic animals. when The first Fantastic animals Movie premiere in 2016, It was an interesting choice for a continuation of the magical world, as it has been set in the past with characters that the audience is not that familiar with. Due to this, Redmayne was the perfect choice to play Newt. He was an established actor, but he was fresh enough to take on a series with franchise potential.

Newt Scamander is easily the best Harry Potter character since Half-Blood Prince

Recent years have seen new characters join the Harry Potter world, and Newt is the best

By the last half of the Harry Potter movies, there were fewer new characters that were introduced as the core group was established. One of the best characters to appear in the last bit Harry Potter Books was Horace Slughorn, A major part of Play The Half-Blood Prince. He is a complex character who values ​​ambition and success above all else, but in a different way than other Slytherins. Slughorn changed the way the readers and Harry saw Slytherins, and he was the character on which the entire plot hinged. His memory of Voldemort gave Harry insight into how to hunt Horcruxes.

Newt is easily the best character to be included in the more magical world since Slughorn, As Newt is also from a house other than Gryffindor and has a more complicated relationship to bravery and honor. While the first movie revolves around his evolution as a character, Newt is not the typical chosen one, like Harry. He seeks to fight for what is right but never compromises his beliefs about the importance of caring for magical creatures. Newt is a foil to the traditional hero archetype and that works well for the prequels.

Some of the letters that were part of the Fantastic animals The series as it progressed are younger versions of people from the main series, like Grindelwald or Dumbledore. moreover, None of the new characters felt as stretched as Newt, whose characterization felt like a natural progression from the Harry Potter Universe. It’s hard to say goodbye to Newt now that his films are over, but Redmayne making a cameo in the upcoming HBO series would mean he doesn’t have to. Fantastic Beasts 4 to make another Harry Potter Appearance.

The Fantastic Beasts movies would have been so much worse without Eddie Redmayne

He brings an essential warmth and reliability to the movies

None of these Fantastic animals Kino lived up to the success of the original Harry Potter Series, however Redmayne is consistently a standout in the prequels. The last two movies, The Crimes of Grindelwald And The Secrets of Dumbledore Tries to make the series as far-reaching and epic as the main series, but it’s never that Fantastic animals was all about. It would have been equally compelling to see a series of films about Newt’s travels and adventures across the globe, exposing the audience to new magical creatures and cultures.

There are many reasons Why these Fantastic animals Prequel saga failedBut Redmayne’s performance is not one of them. It’s hard to imagine how the series might have progressed if a different actor had portrayed Newt, As Redmayne became inextricable from the role. He balances the charisma and awkwardness of Newt with the bravery that pushes him to step in and do what’s right no matter the cost. Redmayne also has an openness as an actor that lends itself to a character like Newt, especially in the Harry Potter Series.

Harry Potter Heroes thrive on strong conviction and empathy, and Newt embodies both of these traits. Although Jude Law’s Dumbledore stepped into the spotlight in The Secrets of Dumbledore, Newt remains a key part of the story, and it is Newt who serves as the main plotline Of the three movies. If any character is chosen to be a part of the HBO TV remake, it should be Newt and Redmayne should be tapped to reprise his role.