Katherine Waterston Cast as Porpentina in “Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them”!

by · June 15, 2015

Now that we’ve got our Newt Scamander in Eddie Redmayne, it was only a matter of time before more Fantastic Beasts casting news was released. Last month, we learned the names of several actresses and actors up for the roles of Tina, Queenie, and Jacob, and now, the first of these roles has been officially cast. Actress Katherine Waterston will play Tina, short for Porpentina, a woman who meets Newt in New York City and will play a “pivotal role” in his adventures.

Waterston was originally being considered for the role of Queenie.

Greg Silverman, Warner Bros. President of creative development and worldwide production, said of Waterston’s casting:

Katherine Waterston is a rising star, who was a revelation in our film Inherent Vice, earning the praise of both critics and audiences. We are thrilled to have her back in the Warner Bros. family, especially in one of our most anticipated titles for 2016, Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them.

J.K. Rowling also weighed in on the casting announcement on Twitter:

What’s more, Variety is reporting that

The studio is said to be looking for more established faces for the spinoff, unlike the newcomers they discovered for the original ‘Harry Potter’ franchise.

That answers a question many in the fandom have been asking ever since the film was announced.

There’s another big difference between the casting of Fantastic Beasts and Harry Potter – we don’t know who any of the other characters are or what their personalities are like. It’s kind of hard to do a fan casting under those circumstances, but surely it won’t be very long now until we have casting announcements for Queenie and Jacob!

Is there anyone else you’d like to see show up in these films? Let us know in the comments!

Press Release

Katherine Waterston Set to Star Opposite Eddie Redmayne in “Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them”

June 15, 2015 01:20 PM Eastern Daylight Time

BURBANK, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Katherine Waterston (“Inherent Vice”) will star opposite Eddie Redmayne in Warner Bros. Pictures’ much-anticipated adventure “Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them,” set in J.K. Rowling’s Wizarding World. The announcement was made today by Greg Silverman, President of Creative Development and Worldwide Production, Warner Bros. Pictures.

Waterston will play the pivotal role of Tina, short for Porpentina, a witch who—unlike the beloved characters from Rowling’s Harry Potter books—works her magic in the U.S. She meets magizoologist Newt Scamander (Redmayne) when he stops in New York City on his travels to find and document magical creatures.

In making the announcement, Silverman said, “Katherine Waterston is a rising star, who was a revelation in our film ‘Inherent Vice,’ earning the praise of both critics and audiences. We are thrilled to have her back in the Warner Bros. family, especially in one of our most anticipated titles for 2016, ‘Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them.’”

David Yates (director of the last four “Harry Potter” films) will direct from J.K. Rowling’s screenplay, inspired by Newt Scamander’s Hogwarts textbook Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them. Ms. Rowling is an acknowledged authority on all things magical, having authored the Harry Potter series of books.

The film is being produced by David Heyman, producer of all eight of the blockbuster “Harry Potter” features; J.K. Rowling; Steve Kloves, who scripted all but one of the “Harry Potter” films; and Lionel Wigram, who served as an executive producer on the last four installments of the franchise.

Katherine Waterston recently starred in Paul Thomas Anderson’s acclaimed film “Inherent Vice,” for which she shared in an Independent Spirit Award for Best Ensemble. She also stars in the upcoming biopic “Steve Jobs,” under the direction of Danny Boyle. Her other credits include the award-winning HBO series “Boardwalk Empire,” and the films “The Disappearance of Eleanor Rigby,” “Night Moves,” “Being Flynn,” “Taking Woodstock” and “Michael Clayton.”

Warner Bros. Pictures has slated “Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them” for worldwide release in 3D and IMAX on November 18, 2016.

Jessica J.

I've been making magic at MuggleNet since 2012, when I first joined the staff as a News intern. I've never wavered from the declaration in my childhood journal, circa October 2000: "I LOVE Harry Potter! If I clean my room, my mom says she'll make me a dinner a wizard would love!" Proud Gryffindor; don't hate.