Warner Bros. has confirmed the cast of Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald, and, while there may well still be a few surprises, they include a lot of names familiar to any Harry Potter fans. J.K. Rowling's Fantastic Beasts series has essentially become a giant prequel to the adventures of Harry Potter and his friends, revealing the secret history of Albus Dumbledore and building up to his battle with the dark wizard Grindelwald in 1945.
Rowling has always been a believer in tying plot and character threads together in fascinating ways. As such, it will come as no surprise that there are a number of classic characters in the films, as well as clear references to major wizard families. While there are no Weasleys on the cast list, there are Lestranges, a Carrow, and even a Chang.
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From primary cast to supporting players in Fantastic Beasts 2, here's all the familiar (albeit much younger) faces you can expect to see in The Crimes of Grindelwald.
- This Page: Dumbledore, McGonagall, Flamel, & Nagini
- Page 2: The Lestranges, Death Eaters, & Other Students
Albus Dumbledore
Albus Dumbledore was name-dropped in Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them, but he's clearly a major character in the sequel. Jude Law is playing the young Dumbledore in Fantastic Beasts 2, already a powerful and respected wizard - but not yet Headmaster of Hogwarts. This young Dumbledore is haunted by his past with Grindelwald; as disclosed in Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, the two were friends back when they were teenagers.
J.K. Rowling has even revealed that Dumbledore was secretly in love with the dark wizard, although it's unclear how explicit Fantastic Beasts 2 will be about this particular plot point. Dumbledore seems to be the man who really drives the film's plot, as evidenced by Fantastic Beasts 2's marketing campaign thus far. Feeling unable to intervene directly in matters involving Grindelwald, Dumbledore instead sends Newt Scamander to Paris as his agent.
Minerva McGonagall
Maggie Smith played Professor McGonagall in the Harry Potter films, but the young McGonagall will reportedly be portrayed by Irish actress Fiona Glascott. This is one of the most surprising casting decisions, given that McGonagall's presence contradicts established Harry Potter canon.
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Previous references from the Harry Potter books and Rowling's Pottermore website have suggested she shouldn't be born until 1935 - a full eight years after the events of Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald. It looks as though Rowling has decided to rewrite McGonagall's personal history in order to make her part of the Fantastic Beasts saga. While the teacher isn't expected to play a major part in the Fantastic Beasts sequel, that may mean she's important further on in the franchise. Of course, that's all dependent on her actually appearing in The Crimes of Grindelwald.
Nicolas Flamel
Although Nicolas Flamel was never actually mentioned in the Harry Potter books or seen in the films, his influence was decidedly felt. Flamel was the alchemist responsible for creating the Philosopher's Stone (or Sorcerer's Stone), granting him eternal life so long as he consumed an elixir he could create using the Stone.
Flamel is a close friend of Dumbledore's, although it's unclear quite why Newt and Jacob Kowalski will go to visit him in Fantastic Beasts 2. Nicolas Flamel is played by 55 year-old actor Brontis Jodorowsky, who's been significantly aged up for the role. While Flamel may not play a significant role in Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald, that doesn't mean he can't reappear in Fantastic Beasts 3 in a much larger role, one that could directly connect to the beginnings of the Harry Potter series.
Nagini
South Korean actress Claudia Kim is playing Nagini, described as a Maledictus witch - a sorceress whose blood was cursed and is destined to transform into a creature forever. In Nagini's case, there will come a day when she is trapped in the form of a giant snake. This is actually a theory that has been long believed but only recently confirmed.
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That serpent will become Voldemort's trusted ally, a creature he controls and uses to inspire terror in his enemies; he'll even turn Nagini into a Horcrux, depositing a small portion of his own soul within her. As Harry Potter book and movie fans are well aware of, Nagini will finally be killed by Neville Richardson during the Battle of Hogwarts in Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows.
Page 2 of 2: The Lestranges, Death Eaters, & Other Students
The Lestrange Family
The name Lestrange is infamous in the annals of Harry Potter history; one of Voldemort's closest Death Eaters was Bellatrix Lestrange, a maniacal witch who served him with joy and reverence. Bellatrix was Voldemort's closest servant, and Harry Potter and the Cursed Child even revealed that the Dark Lord sired a child with her.
Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald will explore the family history of the Lestranges; Keith Chanter is playing the part of Corvus Lestrange, Sr., the patriarch of the Lestrange family. By all accounts, he's a particularly dark wizard and has even abducted and raped witches before. William Nadylam is playing Yusuf Kama, the illegitimate son born to one witch who was left pregnant when she was unfortunate enough to draw Corvus's attention.
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Of course, it's generally believed that Zoe Kravitz's Leta will be the most important member of the Lestrange family in Fantastic Beasts 2. An old flame of Newt's, Leta's precise role in the plot is still a closely guarded secret. Will she side with Newt against Grindelwald, or will she be as dark and dangerous as Bellatrix? Regardless of what happens, it will lay the foundation for the rest of the Lestrange family in the Harry Potter film universe.
More Familiar Names From The Death Eaters
Derek Riddell will play Torquil Travers, Head of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement. On Pottermore, Rowling has revealed that the Travers family were one of the so-called "Sacred Twenty-Eight," a group of respected Pure-Blood families. Unfortunately, the Travers family's commitment to purity of blood will lead them to side with Voldemort. One of Torquil's relatives would become a key Death Eater, imprisoned in Azkaban for brutal murders he committed during the First Wizarding War, and ultimately breaking out to side with the Dark Lord against Harry Potter.
The Rosier family are another of the last remaining Pure-Blood lines in wizarding society, and one of them will side with Grindelwald. Poppy Corby-Tuech has been confirmed to play Vinda Rosier. Although she's known to be one of Grindelwald's allies, it's unclear how important a role Vinda will play. The Rosiers have always been close allies of the Lestrange family, even going as far as to inter-marry a number of times. They're also destined to produce a number of prominent Death Eaters, including Evan Rosier, who died during the First Wizarding War.
Finally, the cast list of Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald has confirmed that Maja Bloom is a member of the Carrow family. The Carrows, too, would associate themselves with Voldemort in the future. In fact, Alecto and Amycus briefly took charge of punishment at Hogwarts during Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, delighting in terrorizing the students.
Some Familiar Student Names
Fantastic Beasts 2 will introduce Andrew Turner as Mungo MacDuff, an Auror who serves in MACUSA. According to Pottermore, the MacDuff line is one of the most respected magical bloodlines in America. Mungo is named after his ancestor, who was one of the first wizards to volunteer to become an Auror and fight against the Dark Arts. Another member of the family, Anita MacDuff, attended Hogwarts at the same time as Harry Potter; she was even a Gryffindor student, although she's only briefly mentioned in tie-in media.
Meanwhile, Bart Soroczynski will play Stebbins, a character with an entirely unknown role in the plot. Attentive Harry Potter fans will recognize the name; another Stebbins attended Hogwarts at the same time as James and Lily Potter (and is glimpsed in a flashback in Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix). Another relative went to the school in the '90s, and was Sorted into Hufflepuff. Teachers caught him making out with another student at the Yule Ball in Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire.
But the most familiar name of all is Chang, a male Auror played by Simon Wan. It's highly likely he's related to Cho Chang, the girl Harry Potter fell for in Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix. Harry's first real crush, Cho was a Seeker in the Ravenclaw Quidditch team, and became a member of Dumbledore's Army. According to Rowling, she married a Muggle after she left Hogwarts. It'll be interesting to see how Wan's Chang connects to Cho Chang (if he does at all).
More: Fantastic Beasts 2: Every Update You Need To Know
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