Young female Harry Potter fans can rejoice. This weekend Warner Bros studios are inviting girls aged between eight and 12 to audition for a role in Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them – and have the chance to star alongside Eddie Redmayne.
The lucky girl could be the next Emma Watson. The British actress, who played Hermione Granger in the Harry Potter series, landed her big break after attending a similar open audition as a schoolgirl.
The casting team are looking for someone to take on the role of Modesty in the Harry Potter spin-off. While it is not yet known what connection she will have to the film's main character Newt Scamander, Modesty is described as a "haunted young girl with an inner strength and stillness" who also has an ability to see deep into people and understand them.
The chosen actress will star opposite Oscar winner Eddie Redmayne
Young actresses wishing to try their luck have been asked to go to the Excel Centre Hall in London on Saturday 18 July to audition, where they will meet a member of the casting team and have their photograph taken.
The queue will open at 9am until 1pm, with the formal application process starting at 10am.
Applicants, who must be accompanied by one parent or legal guardian over the age of 18 years, must be eligible to work in the UK and available for shooting between August 2015 and January 2016. The film is expected to be released in November 2016.
The Harry Potter spin-off Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them will be released in November 2016
Oscar winner Eddie has already been chosen to play the main role of Newt Scamander, a "magizoologist" who writes a Hogwarts School textbook about the weird and wonderful fictional creatures he encounters.
British-born Katherine Waterson will play Newt's wife Porpentina, while Alison Sudol will star as Porpentina's sister Queenie.
JK Rowling has described the new film as "neither a prequel nor a sequel" to the Harry Potter series
Writing on her Facebook page in 2013, popular author JK Rowling said that Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them was "neither a prequel nor a sequel to the Harry Potter series, but an extension of the wizarding world".
"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, 70 years before Harry's gets under way," she added.