Weekly Round-Up: Emma Watson at the ‘Little Women’ Premiere, David Tennant Cast in Another Iconic Role & More!

Dec 08, 2019

Posted by: Kim McChesney

Actor Interviews, Casting, Charity, Fantastic Beasts Round-Up, Felton, Fiennes, Film Awards, Films, Gleeson, Harry Potter Round-Up, Heyman, Honors/Awards, HP Cast, Interviews, Isaacs, Movies, Pattinson, Producers, Redmayne, Round-Up, Staunton, Television Programmes, Tennant, Thompson, Trailers, Watson, Watson Interviews

The holiday season is upon us and Hogwarts was looking as magical as ever when we attended both the Wizarding World Gold Christmas Party and Christmas at Universal Hollywood this week. We also apparated up the West Coast to share the spellbinding red carpet premiere of Harry Potter and the Cursed Child San Francisco. We also didn’t forget the real reason for the season when we celebrated just a few of the ways Potter fans could change the world on Giving Tuesday. We finished off the week with a trip to Wales Comic Con to meet Harry Potter alums Matt Lewis, Stan Yanevski and Tolga Safer!

This week in our Harry Potter and Fantastic Beasts Actors Round-up, contenders and awards for films with Wizarding World actors, Emma Watson at the Little Women premiere and in the new Pirelli Calendar, Eddie Redmayne promotes The Aeronauts for its U.S. premiere, a first look at Ralph Fiennes in the upcoming James Bond film, a premiere and a trailer for Luke Youngblood’s next animated role, Tom Felton films The Forgotten Battle, David Tennant to star in Around the World in 80 Days remake and more!

Contenders and Awards for Films Starring Wizarding World Actors

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Holiday time also signals the start of awards season and it’s no surprise Wizarding World cast and creative talent are attached to films receiving recognition this year. This week the American Film Institute named their top 10 motion pictures of the year, as reported by Deadline, and three of those have Wizarding World connections:

Little Women Emma Watson (Hermione Granger)

1917 Jamie Parker (Cursed Child’s first Harry Potter)

Once Upon a Time in Hollywood David Heyman (Harry Potter and Fantastic Beasts Producer)

The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences also named their list of 20 Oscar contenders for the visual effects category. Five of these films involved Harry Potter, Fantastic Beasts or Cursed Child actors:

The Aeronauts Eddie Redmayne (Newt Scamander)

Men in Black International Emma Thompson (Professor Trelawney)

1917 Jamie Parker

Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker Domhnall Gleeson (Bill Weasley)

Spider Man: Far From Home James Payton (Frank Longbottom) (Stand in for Jake Gyllenhaal/Jon Favreau)

Films that premiere at the Sundance Film Festival often end up on the list of bests during awards season. Deadline revealed the 2020 Sundance lineup this week and it included one film from a Wizarding World actor. Fantastic Beasts’ Dumbledore, Jude Law, stars in the upcoming film The Nest. Here’s the synopsis according to Deadline,

“Charismatic entrepreneur, Rory, relocates his family to England with dreams of profiting from booming 1980’s London. But as his wife, Allison, struggles to adapt, and the promise of a lucrative new beginning starts to unravel, the couple have to face the unwelcome truths lying beneath the surface of their marriage.”

No word yet on the premiere date for The Nest, but we’ll let you know.

Emma Watson at the Little Women Premiere and in the 2020 Pirelli Calendar

 

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image credit: Just Jared

With just 18 days until the Christmas opening, Emma Watson and cast walked the red carpet at the New York premiere of Little Women. Watson plays eldest sister Meg March in the latest adaptation of the Louisa May Alcott classic from award-winning director Greta Gerwig. Ahead of the opening, Watson posted a few yet unseen shots of her character from the film. What a perfect gift for Potter fans to have our Hermione on screen for the holidays!

Emma Watson Little Women new shots collage

Watson is also one of eight actresses included in the 2020 Pirelli Calendar, a.k.a. “The Cal,” a limited release glamour trade calendar first published in 1964. This year’s edition “Looking for Juliet,” featuring images by photographer Paolo Roversi, follows a narrative of a supposed casting of the next Romeo and Juliet’s leading lady. Pirelli said this about our Hermione’s chances for the win:

“If it came to a popular vote on social media, the new Juliet would surely be Emma Watson.”

In an interview on the calendar’s site, Watson revealed she’s been asked to play Juliet many times but turned down the role because she wanted to play it differently. When asked if she thought she was ready now she replied,

“Maybe. It’s just… dying on stage every time for months at a time seems tough. “

Emma Watson pirelli collage

More photos and a video clip of Watson at the shoot can be found on Pirelli Calendar

Watson also sat down recently with her current Our Shared Shelf author Rebecca Solnit. In the clip below, Watson shares why she thinks the upcoming adaptation of Little Women is so brilliant. Little Women starring Emma Watson opens in theaters Christmas Day.


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Rebecca Solnit and I talk @littlewomenmovie ??

A post shared by Emma Watson (@emmawatson) on

The U.S. Premiere of The Aeronauts Starring Eddie Redmayne

Eddie Redmayne was on hand this week on the blue carpet at the U.S. premiere of his most recent film, The Aeronauts. The Fantastic Beasts star leads the true survival story of pilot Amelia Wren, played by his Theory of Everything co-star Felicity Jones, and scientist James Glaisher, who in 1862, attempt to find the secrets of the heavens via hot air balloon.

After the premiere Redmayne appeared on the Late Show with Stephen Colbert to talk about the making of the film, flu season with his two small children, and his love of ham! Take a look at the full interview below.

Redmayne also dropped by the Late Late Show with James Corden to deliver singing balloon-a-grams to unknowing fans. He sounded pretty amazing. Too bad he’s not included on the Wizarding World Christmas Album! Don’t miss his nod to Harry Potter about halfway through!

The Aeronauts open in limited U.S. theaters December 6 and streams on Amazon Prime beginning December 20.

Ralph Fiennes in a First Look at No Time to Die

Ralph Fiennes, Harry Potter’s Dark Lord, is set to reprise his role as MI-6 Head Gareth Mallory, or M, in the upcoming James Bond film No Time to Die. Take a look at a couple of glimpses of Fiennes in the first trailer for the 25th installment of the franchise. No Time To Die opens in U.K. theaters April 2 and in the U.S. April 8.

A Sneak Peek at Luke Youngblood in Fast and Furious: Spy Racers

Luke Youngblood Fast and Furious premiere

Another premiere for a Potter alum! Recent Leakycon special guest Luke Youngblood will be heard soon in the upcoming animated series Fast and Furious: Spy Racers as 13-year-old tech genius Frostee Benson. The actor, who played Weasley twins BFF Lee Jordan, attended the premiere for the series this weekend at Universal Hollywood. Youngblood gave Leaky some hints about this project in our recent exclusive interview, but we can finally hear his character for ourselves in a new trailer. EW summarizes the plot this way,

“Spy Racers follows the adventures of teenager Tony, who follows in his cousin’s footsteps when a government agency recruits he and his friends to infiltrate an elite racing league that is a front for a crime organization bent on world domination.” 

Fast and Furious: Spy Racers premieres December 26 on Netflix.

Jason Isaacs Reminds U.K. Followers to Vote This Thursday 

This Thursday 12th December in the U.K. marks another general election, and Jason Isaacs (Lucius Malfoy) had some words to say on tactical voting and encouraging followers to vote and make their voices heard.

In a letter to his followers, Isaacs said he’d been off Twitter to do his day job as social media was ‘beginning to make [him] uncomfortable’. However, the election brought him back to encourage people to use their vote to try to make a change, stressing the importance and stakes of this election:

“These are extraordinary and unprecedented times. The stakes are so high that an enormous number of elected members of parliament from all sides have discarded a lifetime – or even generations – of party politics, thrown away both promising and fully realised careers and shown loyalty instead to their principles, to what they see as the best interests of the British people, to our country.”

Recommending voting tactically via votesmart2019.com and giving his full opinions on recent popularity polls and the Brexit debate, Isaacs gives a compelling argument, but it’s up to you whether you think this is in line with your values, of course! His full statement (which he confesses is more like a novel than an extended tweet) can be found here.

 

Tom Felton Films The Forgotten Battle

Tom Felton the forgotten battle

Image: Tom Felton’s Instagram

Tom Felton, known by the Potter fandom as Slytherin Draco Malfoy, isn’t speaking parseltongue in a new film, but did need to learn Dutch. Felton is currently on location in Belgium filming The Forgotten Battle in which he’ll play a Dutch soldier fighting for the Germans during World War II. The Battle of  Scheldt, as it was known historically, took place in northern Belgium and southwestern Netherlands from October 2 to November 8, 1944. The Forgotten Battle is co-produced by Netflix and is scheduled to premiere in the Netherlands November 26, 2020.

David Tennant Leads Around the World in 80 Days

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Harry Potter’s Barty Crouch, Jr., David Tennant, seen above at Wales Comic Con this weekend, leads a new TV adaptation of the Jules Verne classic Around the World in 80 Days. The former Death Eater plays Phileas Fogg, a rich British gentleman in 1872 who loses a bet that results in he, his valet, and a reporter’s attempt to circle the globe in 80 days via hot air balloon. (Wow, two balloon stories in one round-up!)

Deadline executive producer Simon Crawford Collins said this about Tennant’s casting and the eight-episode remake:

“We are thrilled to have such a talent as David to play this modern take on the iconic role of Phileas Fogg. Bigger than the hair-raising physical challenges of the adventure – from the scorching heat of the desert to skulduggery in Hong Kong and of course strikes in Paris – will be Fogg’s personal journey. 

Filming on Around the World in 80 Days starring David Tennant begins in February 2020 and should air at the end of the year. We’ll keep you posted on where you’ll be able to view it.

Robert Pattinson Named to BAFTA

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Robert Pattinson is having a banner year on screen. He looks like a shoo-in for award nominations this year for his work in the critically acclaimed drama thriller The Lighthouse. And his portrayal of the French Dauphin in Netflix The King recently elicited this comment from THR:

“2019 has been rich in striking feats of acting of all types — from big and bravura to subtle and shaded to whatever the hell Robert Pattinson was doing in The King (a performance so exuberantly bad it actually goes beyond bad and circles back around to good?)”

Did that criticism circle back to being a compliment? Hmmm. In any case, it’s no wonder Pattison’s been named to this year’s class of new British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA) members, the largest class in history at 559, revealed Variety earlier this week. Congratulations to our Cedric Diggory!

Ezra Miller Included in Forbes 2020 Under 30 List

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Another Wizarding World actor to receive multiple honors this year is Ezra Miller. Last month the wizard we know as Credence Barebone was named to Times 100Next  list. This week Forbes has revealed he’s included in their 2020 Under30 list of 600 top young entrepreneurs in 20 different industries. Aside from his acting roles, Miller is known for his individualism and eclectic style which was featured at the 2019 Met Gala. Congratulations to Ezra Miller. We look forward to his continued success and can’t wait to see what plays out for his character in Fantastic Beasts 3!

A First Look at Stephen Fry in Doctor Who

UK Potter fans are familiar with the voice of Stephen Fry, narrator of the Bloomsbury versions of the Harry Potter audiobooks. Doctor Who fans will be able to see and hear him on screen next year when he appears in season 12 of the iconic sci-fi series. His role was revealed in a new trailer for the upcoming premiere double episode “Spyfall” described by showrunner Chris Chibnall to Deadline,

“Episode one is probably the biggest episode of Doctor Who we’ve done, or has been done, I would imagine. Physically, there’s a lot of stunts, there’s a lot of locations, it’s a globe-trotting action thriller,” he said. 

Series star and thirteenth Doctor Jodie Whittaker had this to say about Fry joining the series,

“I was really emotional about the fact that he was going to be in ours because he incorporates everything that’s truly brilliant about the world of Doctor Who.[…]“He’s like someone from another world to me. He’s open-hearted, liberal forward-thinking, and he’s a pacifist in his actions, but not passive. And he’s funny. To us, he’s everything: he’s an actor, philosopher, he’s a writer. In years to come, he’s one of the great minds of our generation and he is in our series.”

Take a look at the clip of the Doctor Who Season 12 opener with guest star Stephen Fry premiering New Year’s Day on BBC One.

Emma Thompson and Imelda Staunton Serve for Charity

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The Harry Potter cast are some of the busiest actors working in the industry, but many of them also spend time giving back. Imelda Staunton and Dame Emma Thompson recently put on their aprons and white gloves to serve tables at the iconic West End theatre restaurant, The Ivy. According to Yahoo News, the former witches volunteered their time for the “One Night Only” event to benefit the theatre charity Acting for Others. Can you imagine having Professors Trelawney and Umbridge take your dinner order?

That’s all the Wizarding actors news for this week. We have no doubt there will be more to report in the next seven days. We’ll see you back here then!





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.