It's a very exciting time to be a Harry Potter fan. J.K. Rowling's magical franchise only continues to grow in new and exciting ways, keeping the generations of fans enthralled. There's amusement parks, stage plays, as well as David Yates' Fantastic Beasts franchise. The prequel property will continue this month with The Crimes of Grindelwald, returning to Hogwarts in the process.
Harry Potter fans are excited to see Jude Law play a younger version of Albus Dumbledore, but a new report indicates that another classic character will also be returning. Because in addition to seeing Dumbledore as a professor at Hogwarts, it now looks like Professor Minerva McGonagall will also have a role in The Crimes of Grindelwald.
This bit of news is going to be very exciting, as McGonagall has been a fan favorite character since she first appeared in Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone. The stern head of Gryffindor House is a complicated figure that often doesn't get enough screen time, but that'll apparently change when Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald arrives in theaters to expand the story of Hogwarts' rich past.
This news by PopCulture.com doesn't merely mention that the Transfiguration Professor would be returning in the Fantastic Beasts sequel. The report indicates Irish actress Fiona Glascott will be playing the younger version in Crimes of Grindelwald. Her credits include Brooklyn and the first Resident Evil movie.
Fiona Glascott has major shoes to fill, as she'll be playing the role made most famous by the great Maggie Smith. Smith was a brilliant casting choice for McGonagall, and she played the literary figure with pitch perfect accuracy. Will Glascott be able to emulate the same vocal cadence as the Downton Abbey star? Only time will tell.
While it looks like Professor McGonagall will appear in Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald, it's not clear how she'll function within the story, and the larger narrative currently at work in the five film franchise. Smart money says she's also at Hogwarts, perhaps at a lesser role than the one we saw in the Harry Potter books and novels. It would be awesome to see her relationship with Dumbledore grow, and explain the fierce loyalty the two had throughout the course of Harry's Hogwarts career.
Professor McGonagall is the latest Harry Potter character announced for The Crimes of Grindelwald, showing how the current franchise will end up connecting to the Wizarding World we know and love. In addition to Jude Law's Dumbledore, actress Claudia Kim will play Nagini-- Voldemort's loyal and deadly snake/horocrux. Nagini is a tortured young witch in the upcoming sequel, and it'll be fascinating to see how she becomes an agent of darkness.
Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald will arrive in theaters on November 16th, 2018. In the meantime, check out our 2019 release list to plan your trips to the movies in the New Year.
