LOS ANGELES: British actor Daniel Radcliffe has signed on to play Harry Potter in big-screen versions of the final two installments of JK Rowling’s books about the boy wizard, studio Warner Bros said on March 5.

A spokeswoman for Warner Bros confirmed 17-year-old Radcliffe would reprise his role as Potter in Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince and Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows. The confirmation comes as Radcliffe basks in the glow of rave reviews following his performance in the London theater production of Equus, a play notable for its nudity and dark subject matter.

British media reported that Radcliffe’s appearance in the play had alarmed Warner Bros, which has overseen the first four hugely successful Harry Potter films, which have grossed $3.5 billion worldwide since 2001.

A fifth film in the franchise, Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, will be released in July.