When Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows -- Part 2 arrived in theaters in 2011, fans of J.K. Rowling's Wizarding World assumed that was the end of the story. But the acclaimed writer has been expanding her universe, through both a Broadway play and a spinoff franchise, Fantastic Beast and Where to Find Them. The latter made a ton of movie with its first installment, and its highly anticipated sequel is set to arrive in just two months, with The Crimes of Grindelwald including even more connections to the Harry Potter books. In addition to Jude Law's young Dumebledore, the final trailer revealed Voldemort's snake/horocrux Nagini would actually be in the film-- and as a human. Actress Claudia Kim has been keeping her role under wraps for quite some time, and finally spoke about what to expect from the human Nagini in Fantastic Beasts 2. As she tells it,
It will be so interesting to see another side of Nagini. You've only seen her as a Horcrux. 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.
Now this is fascinating. Rather than an all-out evil character, it appears that Nagini's transformation into a murderous snake wasn't exactly her choice. While traveling in the Circus Arcanus, she simply entertains muggles and attempts to keep her humanity. But anyone who has seen the Harry Potter films knows that Nagini's fate is decided.
Claudia Kim's comments to EW add another reason for Potterheads to be psyched about the upcoming Fantastic Beasts sequel. While the first movie largely functioned independently from the events of the Harry Potter franchise, the connections are forming in Crimes of Grindelwald. Many of them are shown off in the final trailer, including Hogwarts, the Mirror of Erised, and even Nicolas Flamel. No one expected Nagini's origin story, which Claudia Kim made clear is very tragic.
She does feel sometimes it's not controllable. She is bound to [permanently] transform at some point to a beast so she feels this pressure that the clock is ticking.
Poor Nagini. Years before she began murdering beloved characters (SNAPE!), Nagini was a young witch with a blood curse on her. It should be fascinating to see how she eventually becomes a horocrux for Voldemort. Maybe he and Grindelwald told her they'd cure her? Or maybe something traumatic happens that inspired Nagini into a life of evildoing and shedding her skin. She seems to be friends with Ezra Miller's Credence, with the two both containing a power they can't control.
All will be revealed when Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald arrives in theaters on November 16th, 2018. In the meantime, check out our 2018 release list to plan your next trip to the movies.
