Fantastic Beasts producer explains what young Dumbledore is like
The arching widow’s peak. The wise, piercing gaze. The hipster-wizard beard. The dashing yet bold blue coat. The deadly jet-black wand. When the first photo of Jude Law as a young-ish Albus Dumbledore was revealed on Thursday, even persnickety fans seemed to agree that Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald has nailed this crucial reimagination of a beloved character.
But what inspired the casting of the Sherlock Holmes and Young Pope actor in the first place?
And how is this younger Dumbledore different from the far older Headmaster we met in the Harry Potter films?
In next week’s issue of Entertainment Weekly, we exclusively speak to executive producer David Heyman about the upcoming film, and among other revelations is some insight into what fans can expect from this version of the powerful wizard, who will team up with Newt Scamander (Eddie Redmayne) to help him hunt the dark wizard Gellert Grindelwald (Johnny Depp).
“One of the reasons we chose Jude is he has many of the qualities we find in Dumbeldore in the Potter films,” Heyman says. “He’s got authority, he’s got a twinkle in his eye, he’s sometimes a bit elliptical. So you have that but also have this youthful energy and jubilance. So he brings that twinkle, mischief, authority, and power, but at the same time brings far more youthful energy to the film. You understand why he would be your favorite teacher and be someone you believe is an extraordinary wizard.”
On Thursday, Warner Bros. revealed several new character details and images from the film, which the second of five planned titles written by Harry Potter author J.K. Rowling. See our complete breakdown of all the new images and intel. Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald opens Nov. 16, 2018.
