British theatre casting directors are searching for the next Harry Potter to star in a musical based on the smash-hit books.

Producers are already working on a script for an all-singing, all-dancing show of J.K. Rowling's stories to open at London's West End next year.

Now a search is on for a young boy to take over the role from Daniel Radcliffe who played the wizard Potter on screen as well as a big-name composer to write the music for the show.

A theatre insider says: "The musical has the potential to be huge. You are already off to a head start with the most popular book of recent times.

Everyone loves the characters and the mythical world Rowling has invented.

"The difficulty is condensing the seven books into a manageable show. They are exploring various ideas. One possibility is to tell the whole story. Another is to just take a single plot.

"The plan is for spectacular flying scenes, live Quidditch and big showdowns with Voldermort."