In "Harry Potter" news that wont shock the fandom, Bill Nighy confirmed yesterday he will be playing new Minister of Magic Rufus Scrimgeour in the upcoming two-volume adaptation of "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows."

Although Scrimgeour has a fairly big presence in "Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince," Nighy told BBC that we wont be seeing him on the big screen until the first installment of "Deathly Hallows" hits theaters in November 2010. "I will be Rufus Scrimgeour, who is the Minister of Magic and he is a very very important man."

This coincides with news that the "Half-Blood Prince" adaptation is going to begin with the destruction of London's Brockdale Bridge by Death Eaters. The book opens with a meeting between ex-Minister of Magic Cornelius Fudge and the British Prime Minister, in which Fudge introduces his replacement -- Scrimgeour -- to the nation's leader. Scrimgeour is an ex-Auror (ie dark wizard hunter), and he possesses much more backbone than his predecessor.

"I am no longer the only English actor not to be in Harry Potter and I am very pleased," Nighy told BBC reporters, following up on his complaint that he was the only remaining English actor not to work in Harry Potter.

When Nighy first dropped the news that he would be joining the "Potter" cast, he revealed that still hadnt read any of the "Harry Potter" novels. It's a situation he will likely address in the near future, though he'll have a familiar face to look to for guidance on the set. Nighy has worked with "Phoenix," "Half-Blood" and "Hallows" director David Yates several times in the past.

While we had all pretty much assumed that Nighy's confirmation last week was for the Scrimgeour character, are you pleased that the news is now official? Do you think this bit of casting carries on in the "Harry Potter" tradition of perfect casting, or do you think some concession has been made to bring in a British actor of Nighy's considerable talents?