To say the first photo from the Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them sequel [1] — which has officially been titled Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald — is magical would be an understatement. The image features almost everyone from the large ensemble cast [2], from Newt Scamander (Eddie Redmayne) to Gellert Grindelwald (Johnny Depp [3]). Among the returning faces, however, are a few new additions. If you're wondering who the mysterious woman next to Ezra Miller's Credence is, or want the lowdown on that guy who looks a hell of a lot like Newt, you're definitely not alone. Let's break down each of the new characters!
Leta Lestrange and Theseus Scamander
- Zoë Kravitz as Leta Lestrange: Fans of the original Harry Potter [5] films just about lost their sh*t when Newt casually name-drops the Lestrange family [6] in the first Fantastic Beasts while referring to a woman from his past, Leta Lestrange. She and Newt were once friends and possibly romantically involved during their time at Hogwarts, but something obviously went wrong between them. In the sequel she's engaged to none other than Newt's brother, Theseus.
- Callum Turner as Theseus Scamander: Whoever was in charge of casting this movie deserves a raise, because Turner and Redmayne look like they're actually related. The War and Peace actor plays the Magizoologist's strict older brother, who is a celebrated war hero and works as the Head of the Auror Office at the Ministry of Magic. We have a feeling his engagement to Leta will spark some kind of conflict with Newt.
Albus Dumbledore
- Jude Law [7] as Albus Dumbledore: Are you guys freaking out about this? Because we're freaking out. Seeing J.K. Rowling’s iconic character as a young wizard is thrilling for a bunch of reasons, but we're most excited to see how his dynamic with both Newt and Grindelwald plays out (especially the latter, given their complicated history).
Maledictus
- Claudia Kim as Maledictus: Although Credence's fate was unknown at the end of the last film, Ezra Miller is returning as the troubled young character. Fortunately it looks like he has some support from a new friend, Maledictus, played by The Dark Tower's Kim. According to the studio, the character is the unfortunate carrier of "a blood curse that destines her ultimately to transform into a beast." What kind of beast? How soon will the transformation go down? Is Credence the key to breaking her curse? Unfortunately we'll just have to wait until the sequel hits theaters on Nov. 16, 2018 to find out.