Colin Farrell can now add ‘wizard’ to his stellar acting resumé

Forget True Detective, Colin Farrell could be about to embark on his most exciting acting project yet – the upcoming Harry Potter spin-off.

Irish actor Colin is the latest star confirmed for Fantastic Beasts (And Where to Find Them), an "extension" of the hugely successful film franchise based on JK Rowling's Harry Potter books.

The film, set for release in November 2016, stars Eddie Redmayne in the lead role of Newt Scamander, the future writer of a Hogwarts textbook.

Colin will play Graves, a wizard Newt meets on his travels in New York. There go our hopes for a Dublin version of Diagon Alley, so.

Ezra Miller, Dan Fogler and Katherine Waterson are among the other names confirmed for the hotly anticipated film. While this will be Colin's first foray into the Muggle-free world, he has starred alongside other Harry Potter veterans including Brendan Gleeson (Mad Eye Moody), Ralph Fiennes (Voldemort) and Clemence Poesy (Fleur de la Coeur).

In fact, the Dublin-born actor has spoken in the past about his desire to work on a Harry Potter film. "I would like to be in something like that, ” he said in an interview back in 2008. “That would be genius.”

Speaking about Fantastic Beasts (And Where To Find Them) in a recent statement, author JK Rowling said it would definitely not involve Harry, Hermione and co. "Newt’s story will start in New York, seventy years before Harry’s gets underway," she confirmed.

We cannot WAIT for filming to get started.