--- description: Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them adds Colin Farrell to its roster of stars title: Colin Farrell Cast in Harry Potter Spinoff image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt52a5b815c96c0470/69885e0c0b72e303af6e5414/colin-ferrell.jpg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  * [Entertainment](/section/entertainment/) ## Entertainment Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close * [movies](/tag/movies/) ## movies Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close # Colin Farrell Cast in Harry Potter Spinoff by [ashley Ross](/author/ashley-ross/) ## ashley Ross Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Aug 5, 2015 5:52 PM CUT  Actor Colin Ferrell attends "Seven Psychopaths" premiere during the 2012 Toronto International Film Festival at Ryerson Theatre on Sept. 7, 2012 in Toronto. Actor Colin Ferrell attends "Seven Psychopaths" premiere during the 2012 Toronto International Film Festival at Ryerson Theatre on Sept. 7, 2012 in Toronto.Mark Davis—Getty Images by [ashley Ross](/author/ashley-ross/) ## ashley Ross Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Aug 5, 2015 5:52 PM CUT The wizarding world is getting a handsome new addition. Colin Farrell has joined the cast of J.K. Rowling’s Harry Potter spinoff _Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them_, which will tell the story of Newt Scamander (Eddie Redmayne), the writer of a Hogwarts textbook. Farrell will play a wizard named Graves, according to [_The Hollywood Reporter_](http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/harry-potter-spinoff-fantastic-beasts-813321?utm%5Fsource=twitter "undefined"), who Scamander meets in New York. Observant Potterheads will know that this meeting wasn’t necessarily part of the original plan considering, ‘Newt Scamander only meant to stay in New York for a few hours,’ as Rowling revealed in an [anagram on Twitter](http://time.com/3479345/jk-rowling-riddle/ "undefined") in 2014. The _True Detective_ star joins a cast that includes Ezra Miller, Dan Fogler and [Katherine Waterston](http://time.com/3921574/jk-rowling-fantastic-beasts/ "undefined"). Farrell, despite never starring in a Potter film, is no stranger to the wizarding world. He starred in _In Bruges_ with Brendan Gleeson (Mad Eye Moody), Ralph Fiennes (Voldemort) and Clemence Poesy (Fleur de la Coeur). “I would like to be in something like that, ” he [said](http://www.mtv.com/videos/movies/204426/colin-farrell-wants-a-role-in-harry-potter.jhtml "undefined") about participating in the Harry Potter universe in 2008\. “That would be genius.” “‘_Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them_’ is neither a prequel nor a sequel to the Harry Potter series, but an extension of the wizarding world,” Rowling said in a statement late last year. “The laws and customs of the hidden magical society will be familiar to anyone who has read the Harry Potter books or seen the films, but Newt’s story will start in New York, seventy years before Harry’s gets underway.” The film will be directed by David Yates, who directed the final four Potter films, and is set to hit theaters on Nov. 18, 2016. ### Harry Potter Illustrated Edition Illustrations  Harry Potter Jim Kay—Bloomsbury Publishing Plc.  Hermione Granger Jim Kay—Bloomsbury Publishing Plc.  Ron Weasley Jim Kay—Bloomsbury Publishing Plc.  Draco Malfoy Jim Kay—Bloomsbury Publishing Plc.  Rubeus Hagrid Jim Kay—Bloomsbury Publishing Plc.  Hogwarts Grand Hall Jim Kay—Bloomsbury Publishing Plc.  Dragon Alley Jim Kay—Bloomsbury Publishing Plc.  Hagrid Jim Kay—Bloomsbury Publishing Plc.  Harry Potter Jim Kay—Bloomsbury Publishing Plc.  An owl Jim Kay—Bloomsbury Publishing Plc.  The Golden Snitch Jim Kay—Bloomsbury Publishing Plc. ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/3986029/harry-potter-colin-farrell/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/3986029/harry-potter-colin-farrell/"},"headline":"Colin Farrell Cast in Harry Potter Spinoff","datePublished":"2015-08-05T17:52:14.000Z","dateModified":"2026-05-11T05:02:09.411Z","description":"Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them adds Colin Farrell to its roster of stars","url":"https://time.com/3986029/harry-potter-colin-farrell/","keywords":["movies"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt52a5b815c96c0470/69885e0c0b72e303af6e5414/colin-ferrell.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"ashley Ross","jobTitle":null,"url":"https://time.com/author/ashley-ross/"}],"articleSection":"Entertainment","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt52a5b815c96c0470/69885e0c0b72e303af6e5414/colin-ferrell.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675,"headline":"Actor Colin Ferrell attends \"Seven Psychopaths\" premiere during the 2012 Toronto International Film Festival at Ryerson Theatre on Sept. 7, 2012 in Toronto.","caption":"Actor Colin Ferrell attends \"Seven Psychopaths\" premiere during the 2012 Toronto International Film Festival at Ryerson Theatre on Sept. 7, 2012 in Toronto.","creditText":"Mark Davis—Getty Images","representativeOfPage":true}],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"/section/entertainment/","name":"Entertainment"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"/tag/movies/","name":"movies"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/3986029/harry-potter-colin-farrell/","name":"Colin Farrell Cast in Harry Potter Spinoff"}}]}] ```