Kate Upton, Saoirse Ronan among 6 in contention for Fantastic Beasts roles

Last Updated on August 5, 2021

It looks like Warner Bros is trying to make FANTASTIC BEASTS AND WHERE TO FIND THEM the sexiest movie in the Harry Potter franchise. The Wrap reports that there are currently six actresses in contention for two female lead roles in the spin-off to J.K. Rowling's boy wizard series and they includes acclaimed actresses and supermodels.

David Yates' film is slated to go into production this year with Oscar winner Eddie Redmayne the top contender for the lead role of Newt Scamander. For the role of Tina, the studio is testing Saoirse Ronan, Dakota Fanning, Lili Simmons and Alison Sudol while while Kate Upton, INHERENT VICE's Katherine Waterston and Elizabeth Debicki are being eyed to play Tina’s older sister, Queenie. There is no confirmation as to whether these actresses are finalists or just a shortlist but Redmayne is prepared to read opposite any of them.

FANTASTIC BEASTS AND WHERE TO FIND THEM is a prequel/spin-off set in 1920s New York. Rowling herself has scripted the film which is eyed as a trilogy. Since the source book was more of a reference guide rather than a narrative story, it is tough to tell how significant these characters are or how they fit into the plot. Kate Upton seems more like stunt casting to cash in on her success. Saoirse Ronan would be a nice fit and is a solid actress while any of the others are unknown enough not to command major salaries.

Of the less known actresses, Elizabeth Debicki's performance in Baz Luhrmann's THE GREAT GATSBY showed she is a talent worth giving a bigger chance to. Alison Sudol recently completed a role on USA Network's Dig series and would be good too. I am not so keen on Dakota Fanning, but she has proven herself a decent actress in the past. It all comes down to the chemistry with Redmayne to make this work.

FANTASTIC BEASTS AND WHERE TO FIND THEM is slated to begin production this year to make it's scheduled release date of Nov. 18, 2016.