Johnny Depp will star in the sequel to upcoming “Harry Potter” spinoff “Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them.”
Warner Bros., the studio handling the film, is not revealing the role that Depp will play. He’s also appearing briefly in “Fantastic Beasts,” which opens Nov. 18 and stars Eddie Redmayne as Newt Scamander, with David Yates directing.
“Harry Potter” author and “Fantastic Beasts” screenwriter J.K. Rowling revealed on Oct. 13 at a fan event that she’s planning on five films for the franchise. Warner Bros. Pictures had announced in August that a second movie in the “Fantastic Beasts” series was already in the works with Redmayne as the lead.
Yates is also directing the sequel from a script by Rowling with David Heyman producing. Yates said at the fan event that the second film will take place in another global capital city — not the upcoming pic’s New York City setting. “It will be very different,” Yates, who directed the final four “Harry Potter” films, added.
The “Fantastic Beasts” sequel will be released on Nov. 16, 2018. Shooting will begin next year. Release dates for the third, fourth and fifth films have not yet been set.
“Fantastic Beasts” is set in 1926 with Redmayne arriving in New York as part of a global excursion to research and rescue magical creatures — including some hidden in his briefcase. Chaos strikes when some of the creatures are inadvertently let loose.
Katherine Waterston, Alison Sudol, Dan Fogler, Colin Farrell and Jon Voight also star in “Fantastic Beasts.” It has not been announced if any of them will be joining the sequel.
Depp recently switched his representation from UTA to CAA. He will star for the fifth time as Capt. Jack Sparrow in “Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales,” which opens May 26.
Depp is also on board Fox’s remake of “Murder on the Orient Express” with Josh Gad’s portraying his assistant and translator. “Orient Express” has a Nov. 17, 2017, release date.
Deadline Hollywood first reported the casting news.