Potterheads might have missed a classic Easter egg in Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban – Newt Scamander’s brief cameo! Eddie Redmayne’s character, who appeared in the spinoff Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them, had a small part in one of Daniel Radcliffe’s scenes in the movie.
It has been twelve years since the final installment of the Harry Potter saga was released in theaters, but fans still discover a bunch of hidden details that can only be seen if one has quite the observant eye.
Eddie Redmayne’s Newt Scamander Found In Marauder’s Map
In a ‘blink and you’ll miss it’ scene in Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, fans would see Fred and George Weasley give Harry Potter the Marauder’s Map. For a brief moment, Newt Scamander’s name was seen on it. The map shows the location of every person at Hogwarts, which also suggests that Eddie Redmayne’s character was also present in the movie.
Fans would wonder if the Newt Scamander Easter egg idea was by the author J.K. Rowling or director Alfonso Cuaron; regardless, it was a great way to introduce a future spinoff that would focus on the magizoologist and his magical creatures.
Redmayne starred in 2016’s Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them, 2018’s The Crimes of Grindelwald, and 2022’s The Secrets of Dumbledore. With the third movie becoming the lowest-grossing film of the Wizarding World, the future of the franchise is now uncertain.
IndieWire asked the actor regarding any updates about the Harry Potter spinoff series, and he said:
“It’s more a question for J. K. Rowling and David Yates and Warners, but I don’t know, I’m afraid. I can’t add to that. I love playing Newt, he’s a sweet man.”
He also told the same response to NME and claimed he knows nothing about what’s brewing at the headquarters:
“I mean, at the moment, there’s nothing that I’m aware of so, as I’m aware, it’s not something that’s on the cards.”
This may sound like disappointing news for fans as Fantastic Beasts was initially planned as a five-film series, but it won’t be much of a surprise at this point knowing the controversies that surrounded the movie over the past few years.
Controversies That Affected The Fantastic Beasts Franchise
The Fantastic Beasts reputation has been tainted with controversy due to some of its cast’s legal issues. In November 2020, Johnny Depp, who portrayed Grindelwald, left the franchise after he was “asked to resign” from the project after he lost his libel case against news outlet The Sun. He also got involved in a court battle following his ex-wife Amber Heard’s allegations of abuse.
After Depp was recast and Mads Mikkelsen ultimately took over, actor Ezra Miller, who portrayed Credence Barebone, got into serious trouble for misconduct, harassment, and burglary. Then, author J.K. Rowling stirred buzz on social media after her controversial posts about the transgender community in 2020.
The future of the Fantastic Beasts franchise remains uncertain at this point, and so fans should keep their eyes peeled and stay tuned for more updates about all things Harry Potter.
