Because Albus Dumbledore spent his time in the Harry Potter series being Hogwarts' headmaster, looking after the eponymous protagonist and doing his best to ensure that Voldemort didn't take over the Wizarding World, we didn't learn much about the wise wizard's past until the final book of the series, The Deathly Hallows. After The Deathly Hallows' publication, author J.K. Rowling shed more light on Dumbledore by revealing he was gay, and while the Harry Potter movies never addressed this aspect of the character, some have wondered if Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald will explore Dumbledore's sexuality later this year. However, according to director David Yates, this will not be directly referenced in the movie, as he revealed:
Not explicitly. But I think all the fans are aware of that. He had a very intense relationship with Grindelwald when they were young men. They fell in love with each other's ideas, and ideology and each other.
After being briefly appearing in Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows -- Part 1, Gellert Grindelwald made his full Wizarding World theatrical debut in Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them, and as one could pick up on from the title, Johnny Depp will reprise the dark wizard in The Crimes of Grindelwald. Albus Dumbledore and Grindelwald have quite the history together, and the Fantastic Beasts sequel will see the two of them crossing paths again. However, according to Yates, The Crimes of Grindelwald will not touch upon the romantic element of their relationship, instead choosing to focus on their ideological connections.
David Yates is correct that a lot of Harry Potter fans are already aware of Albus Dumbledore being gay, but to the average person who casually reads these stories or watches these movies, I suspect it's not common knowledge. Last year, J.K. Rowling, who is writing all the Fantastic Beasts scripts, said to "watch this space" when asked if Dumbledore's sexuality would be mentioned/shown in The Crimes of Grindelwald, but alas, as far as the theatrical presentation goes, that space remains empty. That said, there are still three more movies to follow in the Fantastic Beasts series, so perhaps this aspect of the character will be touched upon in a future story.
Later in his interview with EW, David Yates provided additional details about what we can expect from Jude Law's version of Dumbledore, saying:
He's a maverick and a rebel and he's an inspiring teacher at Hogwarts. He's witty and has a bit of edge. He's not this elder statesman. He's a really kinetic guy. And opposite Johnny Depp as Grindelwald, they make an incredible pairing.
Taking place a couple months after Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them, Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald will see Albus Dumbledore recruiting Newt Scamander, his former student from Hogwarts, to help him apprehend the recently-escaped Gellert Grindelwald, who wants pure-blood wizards to rule over all non-magical beings. The sequel will be set in New York, London and Paris.
Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald will work its magic in theaters on November 16. As for everything else arriving this year, look through our 2018 release schedule.
