Staff Picks: Movies Starring Wizarding World Actors That You Can Stream Now
Need something to watch this weekend? Already watched Harry Potter countless times during quarantine? The stars of Harry Potter and Fantastic Beasts always have new projects going on, which we cover regularly in our Casting News. Here are some of our favorite non-wizarding movies with Wizarding World actors that are available to stream now:
Little Women (2019), starring Emma Watson
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You don’t want to miss Emma Watson in this wholesome, tear-jerking, and inspiring screen adaptation of this classic novel. Also starring Saoirse Ronan, Florence Pugh, Laura Dern, and Timothée Chalamet, Little Women was nominated for six Oscars this year, including Best Picture, and won Best Costume Design.
What If (2014), starring Daniel Radcliffe
In this adorable romantic comedy, Daniel Radcliffe plays a med school dropout with a lackluster love life who falls for a girl he meets at a party (Zoe Kazan). Unfortunately for him, she already lives with her long-term boyfriend.
Late Night (2019), starring Dame Emma Thompson
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Late Night is a fantastic, timely comedy about women making their mark in the entertainment industry. Dame Emma Thompson (Sybill Trelawney) plays a long-time late-night television host on the verge of being replaced. Can she be saved by bringing a young “vibrant splash of color” (Mindy Kaling) onto her writing staff?
The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel (2012), starring Dame Maggie Smith and Bill Nighy
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Dame Maggie Smith (Minerva McGonagall) displays her biting, McGonagall-like wit alongside Bill Nighy (Rufus Scrimgeour) and a host of other stars in this film, in which several uppity British seniors move to a retirement home in India that is a little less glamorous than they expected. The Second Best Exotic Marigold Hotel followed in 2015.
The Aeronauts (2019), starring Eddie Redmayne
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Eddie Redmayne (Newt Scamander) teams up with Felicity Jones for The Aeronauts, telling the thrilling story of a hot-air balloon pilot and meteorologist who go on an expedition in 1862.
Beauty and the Beast (2017), starring Emma Watson and Dame Emma Thompson
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This live-action adaptation of Beauty and the Beast had everyone talking when it came out! Whether you love Emma Watson’s singing as Belle or want to hear it for the first time, now’s a great time to check out this Disney hit, which also features Emma Thompson as Mrs. Potts.
Wonder Woman (2017), starring David Thewlis
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It may be a relatively small role, but be sure to check out David Thewlis (Remus Lupin) as Sir Patrick Morgan in this epic DC summer blockbuster starring Gal Gadot.
The Woman in Black (2012), starring Daniel Radcliffe and Ciarán Hinds
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Anyone up for some horror? In his very first post-Potter film role, Dan starred in The Woman in Black as a widowed lawyer sent to a remote village to discover that his client’s house was haunted. Ciarán Hinds (Aberforth Dumbledore) also makes an appearance.
Sherlock Holmes (2009), starring Jude Law
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Before he ever imagined he’d be playing Dumbledore, Jude Law played Dr. Watson alongside Robert Downey Jr. in this entertaining, action-packed rendition of Sherlock Holmes. The sequel, Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows, followed in 2011, and a third film in the series is currently slated for December 2021.
Dunkirk (2017), starring Sir Kenneth Branagh
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A winner of three Academy Awards and nominee for eight, including Best Picture, Dunkirk is a beautiful telling of the heroic evacuation of Dunkirk’s beaches in WWII, featuring Sir Kenneth Branagh (Gilderoy Lockhart) as a Royal Navy commander.
Me Before You (2016), starring Matthew Lewis
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This one is another smaller role, but Matthew Lewis fans won’t want to miss him in this romantic drama about the relationship between a recently paralyzed man (Sam Claflin) and his caregiver (Emilia Clarke).
Criminal (2016), starring Gary Oldman
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Gary Oldman (Sirius Black) stars alongside Kevin Costner, Tommy Lee Jones, and Ryan Reynolds in action-thriller Criminal, in which a prisoner on death row is implanted with a dead CIA operative’s memories and skills in order to complete the operative’s mission.
Sense and Sensibility (1995), starring Dame Emma Thompson, Alan Rickman, and more
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If you really want a throwback, how about this classic Jane Austen tale? Emma Thompson herself wrote the script for this adaptation, and she led a star-studded cast full of fellow to-be Harry Potter actors: Alan Rickman (Severus Snape), Gemma Jones (Poppy Pomfrey), Elizabeth Spriggs (Fat Lady, Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone), Robert Hardy (Cornelius Fudge), and Imelda Staunton (Dolores Umbridge).
December Boys (2007), starring Daniel Radcliffe
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Even before the Potter films were finished, Dan was filling up his resume with a variety of roles. In Australian film December Boys, he plays one of four orphaned boys who, despite forming close relationships among one another, find themselves competing for the chance to be adopted.
Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street (2007), starring Johnny Depp, Helena Bonham Carter, and more
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Johnny Depp (Gellert Grindelwald) stars in this creepy musical as a man who sets up a barbershop, vowing to take revenge for being sent to prison. This film is also brimming with Wizarding World actors: Alan Rickman, Helena Bonham Carter (Bellatrix Lestrange), Timothy Spall (Peter Pettigrew), and Jaime Campbell Bower (young Gellert Grindelwald).
