Fantastic Beasts And Where To Find Them Casts Katherine Waterston

Fantastic Beasts and Where To Find Them has cast Katherine Waterston (Inherent Vice) to star alongside Eddie Redmayne in the upcoming Harry Potter spin-off film.

Waterston will play a U.S.-based witch named Porpentina (or "Tina"), who will have a significant influence on Redmayne's Newt Scamander character.

"Katherine Waterston is a rising star, who was a revelation in our film Inherent Vice, earning the praise of both critics and audiences," Greg Silverman, Warner Bros.' president of creative development and worldwide production, said in a release. "We are thrilled to have her back in the Warner Bros. family, especially in one of our most anticipated titles for 2016, Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them."

Fantastic Beasts and Where To Find Them takes place in New York City several decades before the events of the main Harry Potter series, and tells the story of Newt Scamander, a young man who will eventually write a textbook on magical creatures. It is directed by David Yates, based on a screenplay by Harry Potter author J.K. Rowling.

Fantastic Beasts and Where To Find Them opens on November 18, 2016.