The cast of Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them has just scored a really huge addition. A new report says that True Detective star Colin Farrell is now joining the cast of the first spinoff of the Harry Potter franchise. David Yates is making a return to the wizard world, using a script written by Harry Potter author J.K. Rowling, who makes her screenwriting debut on the film.

More on the story below.

According to a report from THR, Farrell will play Graves, a wizard who will meet Newt Scamander (Eddie Redmayne) in New York. Set 70 years before the events of Harry Potter, the movie will center on Newt’s documentation of numerous magical creatures and his discoveries which would eventually become Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them, a textbook that would be used in Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.

Katherine Waterston (Inherent Vice, The Man From U.N.C.L.E) will play the role of Tina, or Porpentina, a witch who operates in the U.S. and meets Newt on his journey. Dan Fogler (Take Me Home Tonight, Mars Needs Moms) plays Jacob, a nonmagical person whom Newt befriends while on his adventure in New York. Ezra Miller (The Perks of Being A Wallflower, We Need To Talk About Kevin) and Alison Sudol (Amazon’s Transparent, USA’s Dig) also star. Sudol will play Queenie, the younger sister of Tina (Waterston). Miller will play Kredan, a character who seems to have a magical connection to Newt, although that has yet to be confirmed.

The size of Farrell’s role is also unknown, but it may be a pretty significant one considering his Hollywood stock. There may be even be the possibility that he has signed on for sequels.

It’s interesting to see how the world of Harry Potter is starting to shape up without the title franchise star. With studios now releasing spinoffs, it made plenty of sense for Warner Bros. to start their own based on their most lucrative film franchises. Depending on the success of this film, we may even see Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them become a trilogy. The success may also encourage WB to move forward with other sequels.

David Heyman, Steve Kloves, who wrote seven out of the eight Potter movies, and Lionel Wigram, will produce.

Fantastic Beasts and Where To Find Them is set for release on Nov. 18, 2016.

[Source: THR]