'Harry Potter' spin-off gets a female lead

Actress Katherine Waterston, who appeared with Joaquin Phoenix in Inherent Vice, will play the lead role opposite Eddie Redmayne in Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them, the "Harry Potter" spin-off from Warner Bros.

The British actress will play Tina, or Porpentina, a witch who operates in the US. The setting is a switch from the Potter books, which were set in London and other parts of England, reports hollywoodreporter.com.

According to Warner Bros, Porpentina meets magizoologist Newt Scamander (Redmayne) when he stops in New York City on his travels to find and document magical creatures.

David Yates, who directed the last four “Harry Potter” films, will helm the project which has a screenplay by author J.K. Rowling. The script is taking its cues from Newt Scamander’s Hogwarts textbook "Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them".

Waterston will next portray Chrisann Brennan, Steve Jobs’ girlfriend, in the upcoming Jobs biopic directed by Danny Boyle.