Staunton to go to Hogwarts

Vera Drake actress Imelda Staunton is to join the cast that now includes some of Britain's greatest acting talents for the next Harry Potter film.

Filming for Harry Potter And The Order Of The Phoenix will start this month and Staunton, whose work includes Nanny McPhee, Shakespeare In Love and Much Ado About Nothing, will play Dolores Umbridge, the defence against the dark arts teacher.

She joins a long line of acting talent to feature in the films which has included Richard Harris, Maggie Smith, John Hurt, John Cleese, Gary Oldman and Ralph Fiennes.

The regular teen wizards Daniel Radcliffe, Rupert Grint and Emma Watson are set to return and will be directed by David Yates, who was behind the camera for Richard Curtis' The Girl In The Cafe and the TV drama Sex Traffic.

Harry Potter's latest rival The Chronicles Of Narnia is also set to return to the screens.

Following the success of The Chronicles Of Narnia: The Lion, The Witch And The Wardrobe, the production team are now planning to return with a version of Prince Caspian.

The decision to make Prince Caspian second may cause Narnia fans to fume, as it is often put as the fourth book in the series.

However, CS Lewis originally wrote Prince Caspian as a sequel, not planning at the time a series of seven books.

Titles related to this article

Related/similar articles

• Gilliam relieved he wasn't part of Potter 'factory' (8 September 2009)
• Top 10 Chris Columbus (1 July 2010)
• Wright's deja vu during final Potter scenes (7 July 2010)
• Felton in awe of Potter co-star Gambon (25 November 2010)
• Harris tight-lipped about Mad Men dramas (3 January 2011)
• Branagh and Fiennes to be honoured at BIFAs (23 November 2011)