From a wizard to an engineer! Daniel Radcliffe to star as Washington Roebling in Brooklyn Bridge movie



He's portrayed a wizard, a poet and a man with devil horns.



But now Daniel Radcliffe is to try his hand at playing an engineer in new movie Brooklyn Bridge.

The 24-year-old actor will star as Washington Roebling in the upcoming motion picture, which will be directed by Douglas McGrath.



About change: Daniel Radcliffe will swap his magic wand for some tools as he prepares to take on the role of Brooklyn Bridge engineer Washington Roebling

The role will see Daniel play out the trials and tribulations of Washington's life after the engineer was left to oversee the building of the iconic New York City structure in the mid-1860s following the death of his father John Roebling.

Daniel is set to follow in the footsteps of The Sweeney star George Anton, who portrayed Washington in 2003 TV series Seven Wonders of the Industrial World: Brooklyn Bridge, which was narrated by actor Robert Lindsay.

The movie will be financed by Goldcrest Films, and the company's Nick Quested, Pascal Degove and Jill Samuels will executive produce the project, while Christine Vachon and Rose Ganguzza will produce the motion picture.

Spellbound: Daniel starring in the titular role in 2011 movie Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2

The original: Washington was left to oversee the building of the iconic New York City structure in the mid-1860s following the death of his father John Roebling

Pascal, Managing Director of Goldcrest Films, said: 'Having Daniel’s involvement is a massive coup for the film, not only is he perfect for the role, but he’s consistently proved himself to be one of the very few actors who is genuinely a massive draw for audiences of all ages.'

As well as helming the movie, McGrath - who is known for helping the 1996 big screen adaptation of Jane Austen novel Emma - has also penned the script for the upcoming production.

Christine said: 'We love Doug’s extraordinary script and working with Daniel is one of the rare treats in the business … this is thrilling for everyone at Killer.'

The construction of the bridge, which connects Manhattan and Brooklyn over the East River and was opened in 1883, was by no means straightforward.

The structure cost $15million, twice its original budget, and 20 lives were lost in the 14 years it was built.

