Weekly Round-Up: Imelda Staunton Confirmed as The Crown’s Last Queen, Jude Law Prepping for Fantastic Beasts 3 and More!

Feb 02, 2020

Posted by: Kim McChesney

Actor Interviews, Davis, Fantastic Beasts, Fantastic Beasts Round-Up, Farrell, Fiennes, Film Awards, Films, Gleeson, Harry Potter Round-Up, Henderson, Herdman, Honors/Awards, HP Cast, Interviews, Kravitz, Law, Melling, Movies, News, Pattinson, Radcliffe, Radcliffe Interviews, Rankin, Round-Up, Staunton, Television Programmes, Waylett

Hot off our weekend at Broadwaycon where we saw the New York cast of Harry Potter and the Cursed Child, we’ve apparated home to news of a Wizarding World Funko pre-release exclusive, we remembered Lily Potter on her birthday and celebrated International LEGO Day looking at one of our favorite Harry Potter brick builds.

This week in Wizarding World actor news Imelda Staunton has officially become The Crown’s final Queen Elizabeth, filming begins on The Batman starring Robert Pattinson, Zoe Kravitz and Colin Farrell, Daniel Radcliffe talks Potter with EW ahead of the season 2 premiere of Miracle Workers, Jude Law reveals he’s growing his beard for Fantastic Beasts 3, project updates for Warwick Davis, Ralph Fiennes is in talks to join Matilda the Musical film, Shirley Henderson on Babu Frik and more!

Imelda Staunton Confirmed as The Crown’s Last Queen Elizabeth

On the heels of a SAG Award for Best Drama this season, The Crown starring Helena Bonham Carter, revealed more big Harry Potter-related news this week. Last year rumors were flying that Potter’s Dolores Umbridge, Imelda Staunton would be stepping into the role of Queen Elizatbeth in seasons five and six of the Netflix series. Variety came back with a statement from Netflix saying that the casting of Staunton as the Queen “remains pure speculation”. Friday Netflix made it official when they announced our own Senior Undersecretary would indeed be taking over the role, and according to creator Peter Morgan via THR, she will be the last actress to wear the Crown jewels,

“At the outset I had imagined The Crown running for six seasons but now that we have begun work on the stories for season five it has become clear to me that this is the perfect time and place to stop,” said Morgan. “I’m grateful to Netflix and Sony for supporting me in this decision.”

Congratulations to Imelda Staunton! We can’t wait to see her lead the next cast of The Crown on Netflix.

 

Filming Begins on The Batman

Wizarding World fans have reason to be excited that the latest big screen incarnation of The Batman began filming in London last week. As we’ve been reporting all year, Robert Pattinson, Cedric Diggory, leads the cast in the title role, the Caped Crusader himself. He’s joined by Zoe Kravitz Fantastic Beasts Leta Lestrange who’s taking on the part of Catwoman and Colin Farrell, Percival Graves from FBAWTFT as The Penguin.

 

We’ll definitely be at the theater next summer to see these former wizards together when The Batman opens June 25, 2021.

Pattinson also took home the Best Actor Award from the London Film Critic’s Circle for his work in indie sensation The Lighthouse. Pattinson couldn’t be at the awards since he’s on location for The Batman but recorded the acceptance message below. Heroic Hollywood noted that fans are pointing out the makeup under the actor’s eyes indicating that maybe he’s already snot some of his scenes in the Batsuit!

Daniel Radcliffe Talks Potter in a Miracle Workers Interview

Miracle Workers: Dark Ages Ep 2 Left to Right: Daniel Radcliffe, Karan Soni

Miracle Workers: Dark Ages
Ep 2
Left to Right: Daniel Radcliffe, Karan Soni

Earlier this year Daniel Radcliffe was seen in his first regular television role in the comedy series Miracle Workers. The first installment of the anthology series based on the Simon Rich novel What in God’s Name was the most watched new cable comedy of the season according to Deadline. Season two of Miracle Workers, deemed, Dark Ages, sees Radcliffe as a bumbling and sensitive soon-to-be king. In a recent interview ahead of the new season, he described his character to EW

“My character, for instance, is essentially a stupid prince in the way you might expect one to exist, but then we gradually watch him become more human as the series goes on. With how beautiful the sets are and how well lit it is, it has the look of Game of Thrones, but the jokes and the format of The Simpsons

Fans who watched episode one this week had the chance to see Radcliffe with some of his newest co-stars, the ducks of Dark Ages. EW asked Radcliffe what it was like working with his new feathered friends,

“[Laughs] It’s unfortunate to say that the one thing I learned about them is that they smell worse than you’d expect, but there was a lot of duck s— happening when you’ve got multiple ducks on set, and it is a very distinctive smell. Karan Soni will confirm that once you’ve smelt it, it’s a smell you can identify anywhere, and as soon as they’re around you’re like, ‘Oh, the ducks are here.’ They’re quite hard to train.” 

The interview took a turn towards Potter when the former Chosen One was asked if he could have reunited with the same actors like he did in Potter,but take on a new role each time, like he’s doing in Miracle Workers, which Wizarding World roles would he like to have tried out. We aren’t surprised by his answers and would love to see him in those roles!

“Oh God, I guess Lupin and Sirius Black are both incredibly cool characters. Though I have to say, it’s also [because] I probably am biased a little because I love both the actors [David Thewlis and Gary Oldman] that played them. But yeah, I’d probably have to say one of those two.”

Check out Radcliffe’s full interview with EW and don’t miss him in Dark Ages Tuesdays at 10:30p ET on TBS

Harry with Sirius and Remus

Jude Law is Prepping for Fantastic Beasts 3

jude law just jared beard mic

Fantastic Beasts Dumbledore Jude Law is on the press tour for the upcoming film The Nest. According to Just Jared during a recent interview at the Sundance Film Festival where The Nest will premiere, Law was asked if he would be appearing in the newly revealed Captain Marvel sequel. The actor nicknamed Hot Dumbledore, skipped right past that to information much more interesting for Wizarding World fans,

I don’t know, I honestly don’t know yet…,” Jude revealed. “I’m about to go and play Dumbledore again.”[…]“Yes, It’s the early stages of a Dumbledore beard,” he said about his current appearance.

Though we know Fantastic Beasts 3 will begin production this spring, that familiar facial hair made it finally feel real! We’ll obviously keep you posted on any new Fantastic Beasts developments.

Evanna Lynch’s Kinder Beauty Box Celebrates 1 Year!

It’s the first anniversary of Evanna Lynch and Daniella Monet’s vegan beauty subscription box, Kinder Beauty Box!

Eva has been hard at work recording for Season 2 of The Chickpeeps, her vegan podcast, which recently featured Bonnie Wright (Ginny Weasley). Congratulations on a year of Kinder Beauty!

Evanna also recently visited a few old Wizarding World friends at the Warner Bros Studio Tour in London, resulting in a great photo — she said she originally asked to keep the jelly moulds of her feet, but the folks at Warner Bros. lied and said they hadn’t kept them, only for Evanna to find them on this visit! 

Ralph Fiennes in Talks to Play Mrs. Trunchbull in Matilda the Movie

ralph fiennes matilda

Another villain on the way for for Ralph Fiennes! According to Broadway World the acclaimed actor who portrayed He Who Must Not Be Named in the Harry Potter films has been tapped to play the vindictive, bullying headmistress Miss Agatha Trunchbull or just “The Trunchbull” in the upcoming movie adaptation of Matilda the Musical. It’s almost like Potter fans are getting a big screen combo of Voldy AND Umbridge. Sounds like pure magic to us. We’ll keep our Extendable Ears ready and available for this news!

Peaky Blinders Wins Best Drama at the NTA Awards

 

Helen McCrory (Polly Gray) in Peaky Blinders | Series 5 (BBC One) | Episode 02 Photographer: Robert Viglasky © Caryn Mandabach Productions Ltd. 2019

Helen McCrory (Polly Gray) in Peaky Blinders | Series 5 (BBC One) | Episode 02
Photographer: Robert Viglasky
© Caryn Mandabach Productions Ltd. 2019

Peaky Blinders, the award-winning 1920’s British crime drama starring Helen McCrory, Slytherin matriarch Narcissa Malfoy, took home the National Television Award (NTA), for Best Drama earlier this week. The NTA’s are the U.K. equivalent of the People’s Choice Awards in the U.S. so the series is an obvious fan favorite. Peaky Blinders director Anthony Byrne indicated via Instagram this week that season 6 of the series has begun production, so those fans know that new episodes are on the way. Congratulations to McCrory and the cast, crew and creative of Peaky Blinders!

Warwick Davis talks Star Maleficent and Star Wars and Will Return in Willow ReBoot

warwick davis

Warwick Davis, who’s known best to Potter fans as Professor Flitwick and Griphook, is a fandom crossover extraordinaire. Most fans know he started acting in the role of Wicket the Ewok in Star Wars, a role he reprised almost four decades later in the recent final installment, The Rise of Skywalker. Recently Davis sat down with Comicbook to talk returning to the Star Wars role, along with his real life son Harrison playing Wicket’s son Pommet and director J.J. Abrams’ reaction to seeing him in his suit again,

“Oh my God. He was like a little child! I couldn’t see much, because it’s hard to see out of an Ewok costume because the eyes are misted up. But he was just so, so excited. And this was his idea to do this, and he relished every moment of it. And his gratefulness to me doing it. I was like, ‘You don’t have to be thankful. I just love doing it. Thanks for asking me.’ And, yeah. It was absolutely, absolutely brilliant.”

Davis also discussed a few productions challenges with his recent role in the Disney live action fantasy sequel Maleficent 2 where he played a character named Lickspittle

“With the performance of Lickspittle I had dentures and contact lenses, so wearing those sorts of things and making sure that you can be heard, your dialogue is still clear, you can see what you’re doing. Because often the lenses will make it quite difficult to see. So there’s always challenges, be they physical ones or mental ones.”

He also shared some of the reasons he continues to enjoy his craft,

“I love it. It’s because acting, to me, is about, especially in fantasy and sci-fi, it’s about becoming a kid again. Using that childlike imagination that we all lose when we grow up, but being able to imagine stuff that’s there that isn’t. You have to keep those skills in you and it’s fun to create characters, be other people, but you’re not. And so that’s … and I do genuinely love to perform and entertain.”

warwickdaviswillow

On top of those two projects Comicbook broached a popular subject for Davis these days; a possible reboot of the 1988 fantasy film Willow. He told them the project hadn’t been confirmed yet, but according to Variety director Ron Howard was asked about the film at this week’s National Television Hall of Fame ceremony and he said,

“We’re working on it, it’s not greenlit, but I was just on the phone today discussing it with Jonathan who has written the scripts,”[…] “It’s in serious development, but there’s nothing to announce quite yet.”

Howard added on Davis’s involvement,

“If it happens, Warwick will definitely be a part of it.” 

We’ll definitely keep you posted on all things Warwick Davis! For more on his latest films, see the full interview.with Comicbook.

A Gryffindor Slytherin Reunion in Scotland

The Courier, CR0018837, News, Kirsty McIntosh story, Harry Potter actors star in School of Witchcraft and Wizardry night, as part of Perth's Riverside Light Nights. Crabbe, Goyle and Percy Weasley will be there in person, also a flying car, kids on broom sticks, magic wand training, costume characters etc. Picture shows; right to left, Actor Chris Rankin who played Percy Weasley in the Harry Potter films with Jamie Waylett (played Vincent Crabbe), Josh Herdman (played Gregory Goyle) and Harry Potter lookalike Luke Williams. Tuesday 28th January, 2020. Mhairi Edwards/DCT Media

The Courier, CR0018837, News, Kirsty McIntosh story, Harry Potter actors star in School of Witchcraft and Wizardry night, as part of Perth’s Riverside Light Nights. Crabbe, Goyle and Percy Weasley will be there in person, also a flying car, kids on broom sticks, magic wand training, costume characters etc. Picture shows; right to left, Actor Chris Rankin who played Percy Weasley in the Harry Potter films with Jamie Waylett (played Vincent Crabbe), Josh Herdman (played Gregory Goyle) and Harry Potter lookalike Luke Williams. Tuesday 28th January, 2020. Mhairi Edwards/DCT Media

Two Slytherins and a Gryffindor walk into a room…This was no joke and the Gryffindor didn’t go against his will last week at a Harry Potter fan event in Perth, Scotland. Those in attendance were charmed by Harry Potter actors Chris Rankin, who played Percy Weasley and the two actors known to fans as Draco Malfoy’s henchmen Josh Herdman, Gregory Goyle and Jamie Waylett, Vincent Crabbe. According to the Courier UK fun was had by all including other actors in attendance portraying Hogwarts teachers and the chance to meet and hold live owls. It sounds like a magical affair to us!

How Shirley Henderson Brought Babu Frik to Life

henderson myrtle babu frik

Fans of both Wizarding World and Star Wars were delighted when they learned that the new character Babu Frik that appeared in Rise of Skywalker was voiced by non other than Shirley Henderson, the actress who played Moaning Myrtle in the Harry Potter films. Earlier this week Oscar-nominated sound editors David Acord and Matthew Wood spoke to THR on how they worked with the former Hogwarts ghost to bring the droid to life,

“(Henderson) learned to puppeteer “so she could improv and actually move the character’s mouth,” Wood says. “She was puppeteering while she was doing the improv for the character. She came up with that language and performed it that way. We preserved all of her production sounds, and that was entirely shot on set, live, with her own movement.”

If you’ve seen the final installment of Star Wars, now that you know Babu Frik was voiced by Henderson can you hear that familiar Hogwarts bathroom tone??

Harry Melling Cast in MacBeth Film

Harry-Melling

Harry Melling, who’s best known as Harry’s cousin Dudley Dursley, has joined the cast of the upcoming film remake of MacBeth according to Deadline. Last fall we reported that Brendan Gleeson, Auror Mad-Eye Moody was in talks to a play King Duncan in the high profile project starring Oscar winners Denzel Washington and Frances McDormand, helmed by Academy Award winner Joel Coen. Ralph Ineson who played Amycus Carrow in the Harry Potter films also will appear in the film. A nasty Muggle, a bullying Death Eater and an Auror. We love a good wizard reunion! No word yet on a release date for MacBeth.

Bonnie Wright Talks on Climate Panel

Bonnie Wright was invited this week to talk on the ‘Climate Positivity at Scale’ panel at Slow Factory Foundation’s Study Hall, bringing together great minds to talk about social and environmental issues associated with climate change. Read an op-ed by Slow Factory’s Founder, Céline Semaan, here.

That’s the end of our Harry Potter and Fantastic Beasts Actors news for the first weekend in February. Check out the Wizarding World news from the stage in our latest Theater Round-Up and meet us here at the pub next week!





The Leaky Cauldron is not associated with J.K. Rowling, Warner Bros., or any of the individuals or companies associated with producing and publishing Harry Potter books and films.