Oscar-nominee Helena Bonham Carter has joined the cast of the fifth Harry Potter movie, Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix. Bonham Carter is set to play Bellatrix Lestrange, Sirius Black's cousin and a Death Eater, and a supporter of Lord Voldemort.

British filmmaker David Yates (The Girl in the Cafe) is directing Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix from a screenplay by Michael Goldenberg.

The cast of returning Harry Potter veterans includes Daniel Radcliffe, Rupert Grint, Emma Watson, Robbie Coltrane, Ralph Fiennes, Michael Gambon, Brendan Gleeson, Jason Isaacs, Gary Oldman, Alan Rickman, Maggie Smith, Emma Thompson, Julie Walters, David Thewlis, Fiona Shaw, Richard Griffiths, David Bradley, Robert Hardy and Mark Williams.

Bonham Carter will be joining Harry Potter newcomers Imelda Staunton, George Harris, Natalia Tena, Kathryn Hunter, and 14-year-old actress Evanna Lynch (who'll play Luna Lovegood).

In addition to the casting of Helena Bonham Carter, Warner Bros Pictures also announced they've hired composer Nicholas Hooper to create the film's score. Hooper and director Yates have worked together for 15+ years, with Hooper winning a BAFTA Award for a TV film he scored and Yates directed.

Warner Bros will release Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix in July 2007.

Source: Warner Bros Pictures