‘Fantastic Beasts 2’ Casts Jude Law As Young Albus Dumbledore
When we first meet Albus Dumbledore, the eccentric headmaster at the Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry in theHarry Potter series, he is a wizened old man with a complex past and a powerful reputation. We’ve known that the upcoming sequel toFantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them, which takes place decades before Harry and his friends went to Hogwarts, would introduce a young Dumbledore. And now, we know who will play him: Academy Award nomineeJude Law.
The news of Law’s casting comes our way viaThe Hollywood Reporter, who confirm that directorDavid Yates(who also helmed the firstFantastic Beastsmovie) has cast him in the untitled sequel, which is due out in theaters in 2018. Plot details about the film remain guarded, but we do know that the action will move from New York City to England and France, with original cast members Eddie Redmayne, Katherine Waterston, Alison Sudol and Dan Fogler returning. As with the first movie, Harry Potter authorJ.K. Rowlingwrote the screenplay.
Dumbledore was previously played by Richard Harris and Michael Gambon, both of whom helped create a complex and endearing character whose charisma masks a troubled past. Rowling previously spoke about what we can expect from a younger Dumbledore in this film, saying:
You will see Dumbledore as a younger man and quite a troubled man. We’ll see him at that formative period of his life
The firstFantastic Beastsfilm introduced the dark wizard Gellert Grindelwald, played byJohnny Depp, an unhinged and powerful mad man…and according to Wizarding World lore, a dear friend to Albus Dumbledore, who had known him (and loved him) since their youth. The basic details of Grindelwald and Dumbledore were recounted in the original novels and movies, but theFantastic Beastsseries will allow us to witness firsthand exactly what went down between these two…and how a strange “magizoologist” and his collection of creatures somehow got involved.
Jude Law has always been a fine actor, but he’s always skirted along the edge of movie stardom and is often at his best when he cuts loose and avoids the trappings of usual Hollywood leading men. Recently, he was hilarious inSpyand a fine foil to Robert Downey Jr.’s shenanigans in theSherlock Holmesmovies, but it’s his work in HBO’sThe Young Popethat has me truly excited to see what he does with Dumbledore. That performance – petty, self-absorbed, cruel, and darkly hilarious – features the kind of oddball character work that showcases a side of Law we don’t get to see all that often. Hopefully, he’s allowed to cut loose here.
In any case, this series' goal of casting every single actor from the United Kingdom continues unabated.
