If the hype surrounding this month's release of Warner Bros.' "Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them" film wasn't big enough already, well, it looks like we haven't seen anything yet. The prequel to the Harry Potter saga, set in America, has cast one of the States' biggest stars for its first sequel.

Johnny Depp -- yes, Johnny Depp -- has been cast in the next "Fantastic Beasts" entry from J.K. Rowling and veteran Harry Potter director, David Yates, as reported Tuesday by Deadline. The outlet's sources also tease that if fans look carefully, they might be able spot a quick Depp cameo in the first film, out later this month. The details beyond that -- like what character Depp will play -- are scarce, but it remains major news no matter how he'll figure into things.

Rowling recently revealed that she's planning on a whopping five Potterverse films, including this month's "Fantastic Beasts." No word on whether these will all be directly related, or simply take place in the extended universe, but with Depp's name now in the mix, its certainly cause for cautious optimism (provided he'll lean more "Edward Scissorhands" and less "Mortdecai").

Starring Eddie Redmayne, Colin Farrell, Zoe Kravitz, Gemma Chan and Ezra Miller, "Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them" opens on Nov. 18.