Could Doctor Who‘s Matt Smith really play the lead in J.K. Rowling’s Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them?
Full disclosure: this rumor was started by British tabloid newspaper The Sun. Unfortunately, they are notoriously known for throwing out crazy rumors they know will be picked up by gullible fans like us.
But once in a blue moon, their sources really exist and the rumor turns out to be well-founded, so we’re going to go ahead and let ourselves imagine the possibility: Matt Smith might be playing Newt Scamander in Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them.
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The Sun claims that Smith is interested in the role, and the Irish Examiner adds that Smith is considered “the favorite” for the part.
Matt Smith, of course, is best known for playing the Eleventh Doctor in Doctor Who. He can next be seen in Terminator: Genisys, and also has a zombie movie titled Patient Zero (no, not Prisoner Zero!) coming up. He has signed up for several more Terminator films. His schedule is probably pretty packed.
Related: Matt Smith’s Terminator: Genisys character has leaked (spoilers)
And yet, when The Sun says that Smith is interested in Fantastic Beasts, we believe it. Not only is Smith a huge Harry Potter fan, but with the screenplay written by J.K. Rowling herself and David Yates returning as director, everyone’s predicting that this movie is going to be a huge success – both commercially and critically.
Although we know almost nothing about Newt Scamander, Smith seems like a perfect fit for the curious, somewhat eccentric scientist most people are imagining. If nothing else, this is a brilliant piece of fantasy casting.