Daniel Radcliffe says he will not play Harry Potter in Fantastic Beasts: Those films are doing just fine without us

Actor Daniel Radcliffe is not interested in reprising his iconic role of Harry Potter in the fantasy franchise’s spin-off films, Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them. The actor, who fronted the movie series created by JK Rowling for 10 years, said the new films are “doing fine” without the original characters. [caption id=“attachment_8103901” align=“alignnone” width=“825”] Daniel Radcliffe. Image from Twitter[/caption] Asked if he would return as Harry in the Fantastic Beasts series, Radcliffe told Variety, “I don’t think so. I don’t like say no to things, but it’s not something that I’m rushing to do. I feel like those films have moved on and they’re doing just fine without us. I’m happy to keep it that way.” “I like what my life is now. I’m not saying that I’ll never go back into any franchise, but I like the flexibility that I have with my career now. And I don’t want to get into a situation where I’m signed up for one series for years in advance,” he added. Based on Rowling’s fantasy books of the same name, Harry Potter series translated into eight movie installments, released between 2001-11, and starred Radcliffe, Emma Watson and Rupert Grint in the lead. A spin-off prequel series started with 2016’s Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them, also penned by Rowling, marking the beginning of the Wizarding World shared media franchise. Led by Eddie Redmayne’s Newt Scamander, the yet-to-be-titled third chapter will be released in 2021. Brazilian city Rio De Janeiro will serve as the backdrop of the new film. Returning cast members include Jude Law, Johnny Depp, Ezra Miller, Alison Sudol, Dan Fogler and Katherine Waterston. Radcliffe will be seen next in a thriller titled Escape from Pretoria, which is about a white anti-apartheid activist who escaped from one of South Africa’s toughest jails. The film is based on Tim Jenkin’s account of his dramatic escape from the notorious Pretoria Maximum Security Prison with his friend Stephen Lee in 1979. (With inputs from Press Trust of India)