Naomi Watts' Narcissa role post baby

Jul 25, 2007, 13:00 GMT

Naomi Watts is set to star in the next 'Harry Potter' movie.

The heavily pregnant 'King Kong' actress has signed up to play Draco Malfoy's villainous mother Narcissa in 'Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince'.

The Australian star will begin filming the sixth instalment of the wizard series in September.

Naomi will be joined by British actor Joseph Fiennes, the brother of Ralph Fiennes who plays Harry's arch-enemy Lord Voldemort, and Charlize Theron's actor boyfriend Stuart Townsend.

Naomi and her partner Liev Schreiber, 39, are expecting their first child in just a few weeks, leaving her plenty of time to get back in shape before shooting begins.

Naomi joins a predominantly British cast for the film and the actress has previously said she feels a strong affinity with the UK.

She said: "I consider myself British and have very happy memories of the UK. I spent the first 14 years of my life in England and never wanted to leave. When I was in Australia I went back to England a lot."

'Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince' will be directed by David Yates and is due for release in November next year.

Yates has received rave reviews for the latest film, 'Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix'.

(C) BANG Media International