Castium Revelio: “Good Omens” Means a Good Time!

by · March 6, 2019

This week, the Harry Potter and Fantastic Beasts worlds collided as cast members from both franchises walked the red carpet to celebrate the Into Film Awards, recognizing young filmmakers across the UK for their creativity. The film education charity is supported by the British Film Institute, and awards were presented by the likes of Eddie Redmayne (Newt Scamander), Jason Isaacs (Lucius Malfoy), Rhys Ifans (Xenophilius Lovegood), and Bill Nighy (Rufus Scrimgeour). Eddie is an ambassador for Into Film and had this to say about the charity:

I’ve been an ambassador for Into Film for a few years now, and I’ve always loved what Into Film does. Getting to come here to the Awards…the enthusiasm, the hard work, the tenacity has been very inspiring. I feel like inspiring is a word that gets thrown around a lot, but some of the films I’ve seen here, and some of the people – both the students and the teachers … it’s sent me off with a skip in my step. It’s been brilliant.

Check out some of the photos from the red carpet and the award presentation, and find out about all the amazingly talented winners here!

As for the rest of this absolutely jam-packed edition of our column, featuring Robert Pattinson (Cedric Diggory), David Tennant (Barty Crouch, Jr.), Dame Julie Walters (Molly Weasley), Jude Law (Albus Dumbledore, Fantastic Beasts), Anthony Boyle (Scorpius Malfoy, Cursed Child), Miranda Richardson (Rita Skeeter), and Callum Turner (Theseus Scamander) just to name a few, you’ll need to say the magic words with us – Castium Revelio!

Harry Potter Cast & Crew

We positively love it when actors from the Potter cast work together on new projects, and we are so excited to spread the good news! Robert Pattinson and Harry Melling (Dudley Dursley) have both been cast in the Netflix film The Devil All the Time. We previously revealed Robert's involvement in January, but this week Harry's casting was revealed. Robert will play a character named Preston Teagarden, while Harry's role has not yet been revealed. We will keep you updated as new information becomes available. In the meantime, here is a brief plot summary of the project to whet your appetite!

The gothic story follows a group of characters, including a serial killer couple, a faith-testing preacher, and a corrupt local sheriff, from the end of World War II to the 1960s in rural southern Ohio and West Virginia.

Robert is continuing on with his music, recording a song for his movie High Life. If you have been following his career, you'll know that he recorded a song for Twilight and released a few others online. The song "Willow" was recorded with the band tindersticks and was released on February 28, with Robert performing guest vocals. You can watch the video here, which was released on the tindersticks official YouTube channel and features scenes from the film:

 

 

While she may plan on taking a break over the next year from the acting biz, Dame Julie Walters still has things to do. This week, Walters returned for a second series of Turning Points on Classic FM, the first episode in a series of seven. The actress enjoyed her experience with the first series so much the first time around, it was a no-brainer for her to return to continue her journey with listeners as they discovered the stories of inventions, performances, and the people behind the most memorable classical music moments in history.

The first series of 'Turning Points' was such a wonderful journey of discovery for me and, judging by the lovely response we had, for Classic FM’s listeners too. I am looking forward to being back behind the microphone and to sharing more of the greatest moments in classical music history with my new radio friends across the UK.

For a full list of the new season's episodes and how you can listen, check out the Classic FM website here.

Meanwhile, her film Wild Rose had its Scottish premiere at the Glasgow Film Festival this week and will debut in UK cinemas on April 12.

 

 

Dame Emma Thompson's (Sybill Trelawney) comedy, Late Night, which debuted at Sundance in January, received a wide-release date for this summer! Amazon Studios announced this week that the comedy would hit theaters on June 7.

Thompson's husband is also setting our hearts aflutter as he steps into the spotlight once more, as it was announced that Greg Wise is participating in the Great Celebrity Bake Off. Wise starred alongside many Potter alumni in Sense and Sensibility as the dashing yet damaged Willoughby but may be most recognized by Netflix viewers after his portrayal of Lord Louis Mountbatten in The Crown.

We personally don't care that Willoughby was a scoundrel or what Lord Mountbatten was trying to do. We'll look past these roles to the handsome and talented actor behind them and enjoy seeing him don an apron in the famed baking tent for charity. Episodes began airing on Channel 4 on March 5 and will continue until one celebrity is announced as this year's winner. Check out a preview here!

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dS_XiCRQGig

 

Rumor has it that Domhnall Gleeson (Bill Weasley) will be voicing his character General Hux in the animated Star Wars: Resistance series finale on Disney in a few weeks. The two-part finale, titled "No Escape," will see Domhnall as Hux in the first part, while Adam Driver is reported to voice Kylo Ren in the second part. Whether Domhnall will have new lines this time or the series will continue to simply use already-recorded lines from the previous live-action films remains to be seen.

We told you last week about the Volta Award being presented to Ralph Fiennes (Lord Voldemort) for his work on The White Crow, and now we know how he feels about the honor. Fiennes spoke about the award at the Dublin International Film Festival last week.

I’m delighted to receive the Volta award. I know Irish audiences are very discerning so I am a little anxious. The film has been made for people to see it - so whatever people feel - I’m happy it’s being seen because that’s the reason it exists.

Fiennes also revealed that he felt a slight kinship with Rudolf Nureyev because of the passion he had for his work.

I suppose the desire to chase a dream of being a performer, that’s probably all I can claim to have in common, but after that not very much. I’ve always had two left feet as a dancer. I’m just intrigued by that kind of power to realise yourself. I quite like these high definition characters which have huge contrasting size to their personalities. He can be vulnerable and humorous and can also be vile and rude and destructive – and hurtful which is famously what he was like. I think he’s burdened with a talent and a ferocious need to realise it, which is what has moved me to make the film.

 

 

We hope you're ready to join Scooby, Shaggy, and the rest of the gang, including Harry Potter director and producer Chris Columbus, next year. Announced this week was the cast and crew behind the Scooby-Doo reboot, and Columbus was named as one of the producers of the animated film. Here's a brief plot summary from MovieWeb:

The movie will be about Mystery Inc. teaming up with other Hanna-Barbera characters to 'save the world from Dick Dastardly and his evil plans.'

The new film starring the beloved Mystery, Inc. characters is due to hit theaters in May of 2020.

A new photograph of Fiona Shaw (Petunia Dursley) in Mrs. Wilson was released this week, and we can't wait to see her character in action! Shaw is an absolute chameleon when it comes to the roles she inhabits, and this one looks to be no different. In the three-part BBC1 drama, Shaw portrays Coleman, a boss within MI6. Take a look at the photo and trailer below!

 

 

Perhaps one of our favorite comedic characters in the Potter film series is that of the Fat Lady. Dawn French portrayed this character in Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, winning over audiences with her over-the-top antics on-screen. Now, French is set to star in and executive produce a new series for ITV, and she couldn't be more excited!

Sophie [Clarke-Jervoise, executive producer] and I have been developing 'Glass Houses' for some time and I can’t wait to finally get started in front of the camera. It’s such a good story with a fantastic funny, touching script by Mark Brotherhood. Let me at it.

Glass Houses will air in six parts, and French will portray Maggie Connors, a resident in a small coastal town who apparently doesn't know how to keep her mouth shut. Here's the plot synopsis for the series:

'Glass Houses' is set in a picturesque small coastal town with a close-knit community. It follows the stories and fall out for Maggie Connors, played by French, who doesn’t pay attention to the cautionary adage that ‘those in glass houses shouldn’t throw stones.'

Connors is a central character in town who makes it her business to know a bit about everyone’s lives. When a radio journalist interviews her for a small reportage piece about local life she gives him far more detail (and embellishment) about the locals and their personal lives than he was counting on. In the days and weeks following the show’s broadcast, Maggie sees the butterfly effect of how her very public gossip-fest affects various figures around the town and disrupts their lives.

Maggie has been happily married to headmaster Peter, played by Mark Heap, for nearly 40 years, and their son Jamie and his wife Becka live nearby. Other notable residents include Maggie’s best friend Jill, played by Julie Hesmondhalgh, Brian the publican, school secretary Karen, played by Vicki Pepperdine, the town’s GP Carol, local shopkeepers Emil and Roxanna, and Kelly who works in the hair salon. Also part-time resident is the handsome Marcus, played by Patrick Robinson, who rents a cottage to write his best-selling novels.

New character posters were released this week for Amazon Prime Video's new series starring David Tennant and Miranda Richardson, Good Omens. The selection features Potter alumni Tennant as the demon Crowley and Richardson as Madame Tracy, and we are so excited to see this series already! Check them out!

 

The trailer also dropped today, and you cannot even imagine the level of excitement happening behind the scenes at MuggleNet right now. Is it May yet?

 

 

Helena Bonham Carter (Bellatrix Lestrange) is the voice of another documentary, this time for a 90-minute feature exploring the life of Venetian artist Jacopo Robusti, more popularly known as Tintoretto. The release of Tintoretto - A Rebel in Venice marks the 500th birthday of the painter amid celebrations and exhibitions taking place around the world. The documentary will make its United States debut on September 17.

Disney has announced that the sequel to Maleficent will debut earlier than planned. Maleficent: Mistress of Evil is now slated to premiere on October 18 and will include bossy fairy Knotgrass, played by Imelda Staunton (Dolores Umbridge). We're excited to see what kind of hijinks the fairies will get up to this time around and happy to see an earlier release than May 2020. A new poster was also released, which you can see here:

 

 

Fantastic Beasts Cast & Crew

Colin Farrell (Percival Graves) has a new film on the horizon, and we're intrigued by his role, to say the least. After Yang has been dubbed a "robot drama," and we can't wait to see how this plays out. Here's a brief plot description:

'After Yang' centers on a father and daughter as they try to save the life of their robotic family member Yang in a world where robotic children are purchased as live-in-babysitters. In the story, Yang has been programmed to help his little sister learn about her cultural heritage.

Remember when we announced in 2017 that Johnny Depp (Gellert Grindelwald) had joined the cast of the Invisible Man reboot as part of the Dark Universe series from Universal? Yeah, that's not happening anymore, according to Variety and other sources. Depp is no longer attached to the project, but no reason has been given as to his departure except to say that Universal is retooling their original concept to bring the monster-movie classics to modern audiences. We suspect this is due to the poor ratings from The Mummy, starring Tom Cruise, but who can really say for sure?

We're all a little sad to hear this news, but it was announced this week that Jude Law's third outing as Watson is on the back burner for a bit! The film, with a current working title of Sherlock Holmes 3, has been pushed back to Christmas 2021. No reason was given for this delay, but we have a theory...

 

 

Law joined his Captain Marvel costar and fellow Fantastic Beasts actress Gemma Chan (Madam Ya Zhou) on the red carpet at the premiere of their new film this week, teasing a deleted scene involving the Kree during a cast interview. Warning: This interview could contain potential spoilers as Law and Chan talk about the Kree's ideology, what it was like joining the Marvel universe, and share a bit of an odd secret about themselves!

 

C.B. Strike and Fantastic Beasts Cast & Crew

We previously revealed that Holliday Grainger (Robin Ellacott, C.B. Strike) had joined Jack Thorne and David Heyman's BBC drama The Capture as DI Rachel Carey, and now we have our first look! The actress was spotted on set this week in London along with Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald star Callum Turner. Callum portrays British soldier Shaun Emory, whose murder conviction has been overturned due to problems with the evidence against him. As he attempts to return to his former life with his daughter, another incident implicating him forces him to defend himself and reveal a conspiracy against him. The pair appeared to be filming an intense scene, as police dressed with helmets and bearing weapons forcefully entered a building to presumably search for a suspect.  Take a look!

Also joining the cast of The Capture is Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them's Ron Perlman, who portrayed the gangster goblin Gnarlak. No word yet on his role in the series, but keep watching this column to find out more as his role is revealed.

Harry Potter and the Cursed Child Cast & Crew

A second trailer for Anthony Boyle's new film, Tolkien, has dropped, with an introduction from lead actors Nicholas Hoult and Lily Collins. In the trailer, we get a brief look at Anthony as G.B. Smith in uniform as the war in Britain breaks out as well as flashbacks to his character's friendship with the bestselling author as his fantastical stories start to take shape.  We weren't able to spot any bits featuring Pam Smith (Aunt Marge) as Mrs. Faulkner, but we are looking forward to seeing her in the film when it is released this May. Take a look!

 

That concludes this epic-sized edition of our Casting column! We know, there’s a lot to process. Take your time, enjoy a second read-through, and then make sure to leave all your thoughts on the latest projects in our comments section below or reply to any of our social media posts! We love hearing from you, and we can’t wait to bring you even more exciting news next week.