Johnny Depp has joined the cast of "Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them" sequel. The "Pirates of the Caribbean" actor will star alongside Eddie Redmayne in the upcoming "Harry Potter" spin-off.
Warner Bros., the studio handling the film, has kept details about Depp's character in the film under wraps. However, things will be clearer when "Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them" hits theaters on Nov. 18, given that Depp will be making a brief appearance in the David Yates-directed film, Deadline reported.
"Harry Potter" author and "Fantastic Beasts" screenwriter J.K. Rowling recently announced at a London fan event that the "Fantastic Beasts" franchise will comprise of five films, according to Variety. In August, Warner Bros. announced that a sequel was already in development with Redmayne leading the cast as Newt Scamander.
For the uninitiated, "Fantastic Beasts" follows the magical adventures of Scamander, a writer belonging to New York's secret community of witches and wizards, who arrives in the city in 1926 in a bid to research and rescue magical creatures but chaos ensues after some of the creatures are inadvertently let loose. The film takes place 70 years before Harry Potter reads his textbook in school.
Yates, who helmed the last four "Harry Potter" films, will be back in the director's chair for the sequel with David Heyman on board as producer. At the fan event, Yates revealed that the follow-up will be set in a city other than New York City and promised that it will be "very different."
"Fantastic Beasts 2" will start filming next year and is slated to hit theaters on Nov. 16, 2018. Release dates for the remaining three films are not yet known.
In addition to Redmayne and Depp, "Fantastic Beasts" also features Katherine Waterston, Alison Sudol, Dan Fogler, Colin Farrell and Jon Voight. However, it is not clear whether any of them will be returning for the sequel.
Watch the trailer of "Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them" below: