Movies

‘Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes Of Grindelwald’ Has Already Spoiled a Huge Surprise

The second installment in the ‘Harry Potter’ prequel series introduces us to a familiar face in an unfamiliar form.
By  · Published on September 25th, 2018

If you’re like me and grew up with Harry Potter, chances are you’re emotionally attached to this magical world. You’ve probably made a Pottermore account to find out your Hogwarts house (I’m a Ravenclaw) and tried performing an “Accio!” spell to make your TV remote come to you. Sadly, though, the adventures of The Boy Who Lived are a thing of the past. Fortunately for fans, however, there are more stories to be told based in this universe and Hollywood understands this.

Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them re-introduced audiences to the wizarding world in 2016, chronicling the magical adventures of Newt Scamander (Eddie Redmayne) in the wizarding world prior to the Potter era. Now the second installment in the planned five-part saga, Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald, is nearly upon us. The film follows Newt in the French capital as he tries to put a stop to Grindelwald (Johnny Depp), who has escaped from The Magical Congress of the United States and is amassing an army of followers to aid in his quest for world domination.

Check out the final trailer for the sequel below and keep your eyes peeled for some surprises:

This movie looks promising, especially the parts that tease the relationship between young Dumbledore (Jude Law) and Grindelwald. J.K. Rowling previously shocked the world by revealing that there was some romance there prior to the latter breaking bad. Elsewhere, the trailer also confirms that we’ll be returning to Hogwarts, though most of the action takes place in Paris, a city where strange creatures roam. Finally, we meet Newt’s brother, Theseus (Callum Turner), and discover that he’s engaged to Leta Lestrange (Zoe Kravitz). Expect some sibling animosity to arise from that situation.

Of course, we can’t overlook the big news surrounding this movie that’s been circulating recently. Claudia Kim’s role has been a major talking point heading into the sequel. Until now, all we knew was that she was a Maledictus, which in Potter universe lore is someone who’s cursed and destined to become a beast down the line. Well, now we know which beast she is, and it’s one that Potter fans know very well.

Spoilers Below

In a new interview with Entertainment Weekly, the actress spilled the beans by revealing that she’s playing Nagini — Voldemort’s pet snake and Horcrux. However, since this story takes place in 1927, we’ll get to know Nagini before she became an evil serpent.

Until now, Potter fans only knew Nagini as a terrifying reptile with large fangs that eats old ladies. In this movie, though, Kim revealed that we’ll see a more sympathetic side to the character. “You’ve only seen her as a Horcrux,” she told EW. “In this, she’s a wonderful and vulnerable woman who wants to live. She wants to stay a human being and I think that’s a wonderful contrast to the character.”

This is an interesting development, but I wish Kim kept her lips sealed. This would have been a cool surprise and a better talking point coming out of the movie rather going into it. But I understand that she has a movie to promote and Nagini is a big deal. At the same time, I’m looking forward to seeing this side of Nagini, and it’s a perfect opportunity to introduce another compelling female character to the franchise’s rich mythology.

Nagini as a human also adds a new layer to Voldemort’s story. In the books, he’s very protective of his snake and there’s enough reason to suggest that he even cares about her. Now that we know she was a person, this opens up some interesting possibilities. The upcoming movies will likely delve further into Nagini’s backstory, in turn exploring a side of both her and Voldemort we haven’t discovered yet.

Maybe Voldemort was in love with her? Maybe she’s bound to him for some other reason she can’t control? Your guess is as good as mine. Until then, let’s hope the movie makes enough money to warrant future continuations.

The movie arrives in theaters on Nov. 16, 2018.

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Kieran is a Contributor to the website you're currently reading. He also loves the movie Varsity Blues.