Fewer than three weeks after a huge open casting session for the part of Luna Lovegood, 14-year-old Evanna Lynch has been chosen for the role.

Luna Lovegood, known also as Loony, is a decidedly odd student who befriends Harry in the fifth Potter adventure.

Evanna, who's from near Drogheda in Ireland, was chosen from more than 15,000 other girls at an open casting.

She'll start filming her scenes at Leavesden Studios just outside London later this month.

More than 400 girls have reached the next stage of the search for a young actress to play Luna Lovegood in the next Harry Potter film.

It follows an open casting call held in London on Saturday. The casting team is contacting the girls concerned.

More than 15,000 people spent hours queuing after Warner Bros. appealed for girls aged between 13 and 16 to attend the casting.

Potter bosses said they'd like to thank every single girl who turned up.

Fiona Weir told CBBC Newsround: "We really didn't have a particular look in mind and saw many fabulous girls from all points of the UK and Ireland.

'Determined'

"We were really amazed at the response and would like to say a big thank you to everyone who gave up their Saturday."

She added: "Even though we had many thousands more than anticipated, we were determined to see everyone who came along."

Huge number

According to Warner Bros. the girls who have reached the next round have a wide range of accents, backgrounds and ethnicity. They came from all over the UK and Ireland ranging from Renfrewshire to West Sussex, and County Clare to Newport.

Because of the huge number of girls who went to the casting on Saturday, the organisers will only be contacting those they wish to see again

From the newsround website. --

Harry Potter film bosses say they are delighted with the number of people who turned up to the Luna Lovegood open casting held in London.

People started queuing at 11pm on Friday night, and the last girls were seen at about 5pm on Saturday.

Casting director Fiona Weir told Newsround: "It's been an amazing day. We think we've seen in excess of 15,000 people, which is incredible."

She also thanked everyone who had come along for being so patient.

Girls who Ms Weir's interested in auditioning further will be contacted within the next two weeks.

The girl who does win the role of Luna will start filming sometime in February.

Early start

First in the queue to meet the production team was Kim, 15, from Andover, who took her place at 11pm on Friday.

"There are three of us and we slept outside although we didn't sleep very well," said Kim.

"I've done drama lessons but that's about it but I have loved acting ever since I was younger and I'm mad about Harry Potter.

Rosie, 13, from Fulham chatted to Newsround while she was waiting in the queue. She said: "I'm really really excited but I'm cold. I came for the experience."

And after her audition Maddi, 14, from Essex texted Newsround saying: "When I was in the room for the audition it was quite nerve-wracking even though we only had to say our name! I didn't get through."

Good humour

Vanessa Davies, a spokesperson for the Harry Potter production team told Newsround she thought the casting was going really well.

She said: "We appreciate it is very heartbreaking if you are not successful and we particularly have sympathy for those who have travelled a long way to get here.

"It's great to see the queue is in very good humour"

Dreamy quality

The producers say the girl they are looking for to play Luna Lovegood must have an "other worldly quality".

The Hogwarts pupil often appears to be dreamy, tucks a wand behind her ear and is known for wearing radishes as earrings and a butterbeer cork necklace.

Did you go to the Luna auditions? Or are you there now? What was it like? And how do you rate your chances?

Let us know by emailing using the form on the right.

You can also send us a text - Text NR and your message to 62222. Remember to include your first name, age and town. Charged at operators' standard rates. Please ask permission.

It wasn't as cold as I had expected! We got there at 6.45. Everyone told us to wrap up warm, but in fact we were boiling! None of my friends got in, but I think it is a bit mean that only one or two out of 50 or so get in. Plus they know nothing about us or our acting skills. They just picked the loudest and most muddy-blonde haired like Luna.

If you're hoping for a part in Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, you might be in luck - there's a casting call for actresses on Saturday.
Makers Warner Bros are hunting for a girl aged 13-16, living in Ireland or the UK, to play Luna Lovegood.

It's happening between 10am and 2pm on 14 January, at the Central Hall Westminster, Storey's Gate, in London.

Applicants should bring a passport to prove their age, and dress warmly - there could be a long wait!

Anybody who doesn't have a passport won't be seen, and neither will girls who don't live in the UK or Ireland, and Luna is the only part they're looking for.

You also need to bring something with proof of your address on to show where you live.

They're just planning to take a photo of anyone they think has the right look, and will get back in touch with some of them for an audition.

They also say girls should come as themselves - no costumes, make-up or high heels will be allowed.

The queue opens at 8am on Saturday morning, and closes at 2pm.

The full address for the audition is:

The Central Hall Westminster
Storey's Gate
Westminster
London
London SW1

The nearest underground stations are St James Park and Westminster.

You shouldn't contact the venue as there is no further information available.

Luna announcement 'within weeks'


A final decision on who will play Luna Lovegood in the fifth Harry Potter movie could be made within weeks. The search for a teenager to play the eccentric Ravenclaw fourth year began more than two months ago.


Casting directors have visited dozons of schools across the UK with filming on Harry Potter and the Order of the Pheonix due to begin in February.


In November CBBC Newsround revealed that producers have narrowed the search down to five girls.


This followed a process that saw casting staff visiting school and looking at photographs sent in to Warner Brothers.


Imelda Staunton is tipped to be Professor Umbridge.

Over the past few weeks, severak sites and message boards on the internet have featured teenagers saying that they are one of the final five with many of the posting photographs of themselves.

Girls who are really in the last few have been asked to keep the news secret and Warner Brothers say that as far as they are aware, none of the names or photographs of the girls genuinely in the last five have appeared on any website.


News on which lucky girl will get the part is expected in early January, with other casting news later in the year.

Imelda Staunton is already known to be the front runner for the part of Professor Umbridge. Other parts to be cast include Tonks and Kingsley Shacklebolt.


(Sorry it took so long. Plus i had to type it all up word by word. Argh)

Kat emailed me these articles as well. Thanks Kat.

Harry Potter fans have been warned about fake e-mails from people pretending to be involved in casting for the future films.
An alert on the official Warner Brothers Harry Potter site said these e-mails definitely do not come from them and that kids should delete them.
The e-mails are sometimes headed 'WARNERBROS CASTSEARCH' and ask kids to send personal information.
Warner Bros said it never sends out e-mails as part of casting.
It says on the official site: "This is to advise that Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. does not engage in casting activity through e-mail. These e-mails are fraudulent and you should not respond to any such e-mail."
The site then says people can forward any e-mails they suspect to be fakes to anti-piracy@warnerbros.com and they will do their best to investigate them.

Sorry it was a little late but...

Over the past few weeks, producers have been visiting schools across the country searching for someone to play Luna Lovegood in the fifth movie.
At Sunday's premiere, producer David Heyman told CBBC Newsround Online that the search was nearly over.
They are now choosing from a shortlist of five hopefuls.
"We've narrowed it down to a handful of people for Luna," he said. "I haven't seen them though. [Director] David Yates has been doing the casting."
Click here to read more about the Potter premiere
It's believed that following on from the school search along with applications sent in to the studios, there have been a number of casting sessions and workshops in London with girls being considered for the part.
David Heyman also confirmed that they had specific people in mind for other parts in the movie. Imelda Staunton is at the "forefront of the search" for someone to play Professor Umbridge.
Tonks
And two actors are in talks to play Kingsley Shacklebolt and Tonks.
Anna Friel, the partner of Lupin actor David Thewlis, has been rumoured to be in line for the role of Tonks, but David Heyman said that she definitely wasn't being considered for the part.
Filming on Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix will begin in February 2006.

CBBC NEWSROUND thanks to Kat as well.
I think we can all say here... damn.

I've had a few emails from people saying how they like the site and some have articles about the auditions and i want to say thanks. I do this for you guys and it's great to know you appreciate it. But it wasn't just me. People's emails help greatly. And i reply to every one. At least i try to. I don't get a great load anyway so it's not too hard. ^_^


Thanks to Kat for this:
What progress has there been on the OOTP film?
David: We're starting filming in February. We are searching everywhere for the right Luna. We are in discussions with Imelda Staunton about Professor Umbridge, but we don't know what will happen there. We also have in mind a Tonks and a Shacklebolt, but we haven't yet made a deal.
CBBC Newsround!

Thanks to Sarah for this: Following the Goblet of Fire junket yesterday, HP Producer David Heyman stopped for a brief interview with Veritaserum about Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix. He said: "With each of our films, we begin working on it before the other one comes out, so we've been working on this one for five months." Heyman also said that "we are in negotiations with Imelda Staunton" for the role of Professor Umbridge in the movie. Staunton said on ITV last week that she had been chosen for the role, but it now seems as though that announcement was somewhat premature. More updates on that topic as they come. Heyman also told us that Luna Lovegood auditions are going "really well. Early days yet, but we're, you know, we're meeting, and look forward to finding her. We've seen lots of girls - a couple thousand.... We scour." He also said that casting directors will continue searching for Luna Lovegood for "as long as it takes." www.mugglenet.com/ www.veritaserum.com/ Well that could possibly mean they haven't found the right person yet. It depends on how you want to look at it but most people probably want it to be that way. But who wouldn't i guess?

Exclusive: Search for Luna starts


Auditions for the part if Cho Chang were held in London The fourth Potter film isn't even in cinemas yet, but the production team is already looking for someone to play Luna Lovegood in the fifth movie.


Members of the casting department are currently visiting schools across the UK to try and cast the role of the strange fourth year Ravenclaw student.

Luna becomes friends with Harry in the fifth adventure despite her rather odd view on life in the wizarding world.
She's one of several new characters such as Professor Umbridge.
If your school isn't one of those being visited by the casting agents, don't worry.

Aspiring Luna's can also send their details to this address.

Luna Lovegood Casting c/o Harry Potter and The Order of the Phoenix Leavesden Studios PO Box 322 Hertfordshire WD25 7XJ

You need to send a photo, your age and your contact details and please don't fax or phone the studios, only write.

They won't be able to reply to everyone, but they will contact anyone they're interested in auditioning for the part.

No open castings

Harry Potter A spokesperson for Warner Bros. has also told CBBC Newsround that there are no plans to hold open castings - they're castings where anyone can turn up - for the part of Luna Lovegood.

"We don't automatically do open casting calls," she told us. "We only do them when it's particularly challenging to find the correct person for a particular part."

That's why open casting sessions were only held for the Patil twins, and for Cho Chang when casting Goblet of Fire. It was difficult finding young actresses with the right appearance through casting agencies or schools.

Luna must live in UK

The part of Luna Lovegood is only open to girls who live in the UK, so the production team won't look at anyone from outside Britain, no matter how good your accent is!

Filming of Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix is scheduled to start at the beginning of 2006. - CBBC