The release of ‘Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald’ is fast approaching, and fans are as eager as ever to dive into this latest story in the Wizarding World. But that passion cuts both ways, and fan dissatisfaction with a specific element of the story has threatened to overshadow fans’ hopes for the film even before they’ve had a chance to see it.
That element, in a word, is Dumbledore. With the ‘Fantastic Beasts’ films positioning dark wizard Gellert Grindelwald as their main antagonist, the announcement that a younger version of Dumbledore (played by Jude Law, opposite Johnny Depp’s Grindelwald) lead more than a few people to expect some exploration of the relationship between the two men, which was clearly a complicated one even before J.K. Rowling revealed (following the release of ‘Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows’) that Dumbledore was not only gay but had been involved with Grindelwald as a young man.
So what was the problem? Well, it began in February, when director David Yates mentioned that the film would not “explicitly” deal with this relationship and was exacerbated over the summer when Jude Law let slip that he and Depp don’t actually have any scenes together in the film. This created the appearance that the filmmakers were trying to sidestep some potentially sensitive (and dramatically interesting) subject matter, though Rowling herself was quick to remind people that ‘The Crimes of Grindelwald’ is only the second of a planned five film cycle, and both cast and crew have implored people not to judge the film until they see it.
And while we’ll be able to see it in its entirety next week, a new featurette has given us our first substantive look at how Dumbledore (and by extension, his history with Grindelwald) will be dealt with in the film. Featuring interviews with Law, Rowling, Depp, and others, it offers both insights into the character and hints of what to expect from the film’s handling of Dumbledore – and his connection to Grindelwald.
Directed by David Yates from a screenplay by ‘Harry Potter’ creator J.K. Rowling, ‘Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald’ stars Eddie Redmayne, Katherine Waterston, Dan Fogler, Alison Sudol, Johnny Depp, Zoe Kravitz, and Jude Law. The film is scheduled for release on November 16, 2018.
