After winding up being pleasantly surprised by FANTASTIC BEASTS AND WHERE TO FIND THEM, I'm finding myself quite looking forward to its upcoming sequel which will further open up the wizarding world during this dark time. Production is slated to get underway this summer and Warner Bros. have put out an open casting call looking for several young actors to play teenage incarnations of Newt Scamander (Eddie Redmayne), Leta Lestrange (Zoe Kravitz), Gellert Grindelwald (Johnny Depp), Albus Dumbledore (Jude Law) and a new character by the name of Sebastian.
The studio is hoping to find three actors between the ages of 13 and 16 to play younger versions of Newt, Leta and Sebastian, as well as two actors between 16 and 18 to bring the teenage Grindelwald and Dumbledore to life. If you reside across the pond and fit the bill, or know someone who does, here's the relevant information:
To apply for the Fantastic Beasts open casting call, email casting.prod@wb.uc-ns.com with a recent colour photograph, (i.e., taken within the last two months), contact telephone number, your home address and date of birth. Anyone under 18 must ask a parent or guardian to send the application.
No previous acting experience is necessary, but applicants need to be eligible to work in the UK (meaning they must be a UK, Irish or EU passport holder), and be available for filming between August and November 2017.
The closing date for applications is Tuesday, 20 June 2017 at midnight GMT. If there is interest in pursuing an application further, the applicant will hear back within 14 days of their original submission. While every applicant will be considered, only those passing the initial consideration round will be contacted.
It seems that several flashbacks are in store for the FANTASTIC BEASTS sequel, and while we do know a bit about Albus Dumbledore and Gellert Grindelwald's younger years before their falling out, we know next to nothing about Newt Scamander's past. His close friendship with Leta Lestrange was mentioned in FANTASTIC BEASTS AND WHERE TO FIND THEM, but beyond a quick look at a photograph in his workshop, we know even less about her character. Zoe Kravitz will be making a proper appearance in the sequel and has teased that the complex relationship between her character and Newt Scamander will likely be explored across several of the planned four sequels.
I think there’s a few ahead. The relationship between Leta and Newt Scamander is a complex relationship, so I think there will be a lot of time for that to grow and develop, which will be fun.
The FANTASTIC BEASTS AND WHERE TO FIND THEM sequel is set for a November 16, 2018 release.