Warner Bros. have announced that two time Academy Award nominee Jude Law is to play Albus Dumbledore in the next installment of the Fantastic Beasts franchise.
The acclaimed actor will play the infamous wizard who was played by Richard Harris and then Michael Gambon in the original Harry Potter films. When we meet Albus Dumbledore in Fantastic Beasts, he will not be the esteemed headmaster that we see in the Potter novels. This will be him 70 years prior, a Transfiguration professor at Hogwarts who is rather fond of Newt Scamander (Eddie Redmayne), our protagonist.
He is cast opposite Johnny Depp as Gellert Grindelwald, a dark wizard who Dumbledore was once very close with. In Deathly Hallows, Rowling hints at romantic affection between the pair.
Director David Yates has said of Law: “[He] is a phenomenally talented actor whose work I’ve long admired and I’m looking forward to finally having the opportunity to work with him. I know he will brilliantly capture all the unexpected facets of Albus Dumbledore as J.K. Rowling reveals this very different time in his life.”
The next Fantastic Beasts film, which is the second of five, is due for release in November 2018 and is due to start production this summer.
Watch the trailer for the first Fantastic Beasts below, and read our review here.
