Actors greatly benefit from the notes in a script. That why productions often keep the screenwriter on set during filming, to answer questions or make improvements as a movie comes together. In the realm of the Harry Potter and Fantastic Beasts films, though, you don't just get a screenwriter... you get the woman who invented the entire universe in which you have been invited to play. So of course Jude Law went straight to J.K. Rowling when he needed insight on how to play young Dumbledore. Commenting on his preparation, the actor recently said:
Do you know what I did? I sat in a room for an afternoon with J.K. Rowling, and I listened to her extraordinary words of wisdom. She was kind enough to share with me the whole backstory and her future hopes for this young character of Dumbledore and really that set me on the path. I just did what the writer said.
Makes sense. That's what we would do if we were given the extraordinary opportunity to play such a significant figure in the developing Fantastic Beasts franchise. Jude Law will make his debut as Albus Dumbledore later this year in Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Gindelwald, and he opened up to ET about his process while attending the Golden Globes, where he was nominated or playing a Young Pope.
Make Jude Law young in anything, and it improves, I suppose.
And now we settle in to wait and see if he insights and guidance given to Jude Law by J.K. Rowling paid off. The character of Albus Dumbledore has volumes of experiences in which the movies could explore, so Law can pull from Rowling's notes or rely on histories established by certified fan sites. We know that the confrontation between Dumbledore and Gridelwald will be one of legend, but we have a few more movies before we actually get to it.
The actor couldn't open up on any specific details about his pending battle with Grindelwald, who will be played by Johnny Depp (despite the opposition of some vocal fans who are upset about Depp's casting). So we'll have to reiterate what we already know -- and sit on all of the details that we picked up on our Fantastic Beasts set visit (for now). The plot will resume with Newt Scamander (Eddie Redmayne) becoming a global icon thanks to the publishing of his guide to fantastic beasts. The action will shift from New York City to London and Paris, where Grindelwald may be building an army, putting him on the radar of one concerned Dumbledore.
We don't yet have a trailer for Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald, but Warner Bros. released a cast shot:
Directed by David Yates, Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald opens in theaters on November 16. Be sure to bookmark our complete guide to 2018 Movie Release Dates, so you know which big movies are on the horizon!
