The moviemaking industry is dominated by large franchises, as shared universes and storytelling have become commonplace. Plenty of A-list actors are vying to join their own iconic franchises, with some celebs lucky enough to appear in multiple properties. Jude Law is one of those aforementioned performers, who has upcoming roles in both Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald and Captain Marvel. His roles for both project had been kept under wraps for quite some time, although one franchise's security was particularly tight as the movies were coming together.
During a recent appearance on The Late Show Starring Stephen Colbert, Jude Law spoke about his huge upcoming roles (or at least tried to), where he revealed that the Wizarding World is decidedly more relaxed than the behemoth Marvel Cinematic Universe. As he describes it,
I think it might be this British-American difference. With Fantastic Beasts, they're like 'We assume you're not going to give away any of these secrets. And if you do, we're going to tell you not to again and we may quietly kill you.' In Marvel, it's like, 'Don't you fucking ever tell anybody anybody about this!'
Well, that certainly sounds intense. Both of Jude Law's upcoming franchise roles were a mystery to the general public for a long time, but things over on the set of J.K. Rowling's Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald were decidedly more relaxed. And while Law chops that up to British sensibilities, it could easily be a combination of different factors.
Jude Law's comments coming from his recent appearance on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert make a great deal of sense, given how high anticipation is for both Harry Potter projects and new installments in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. The franchises have massive fanbases, who are often eager for any clues about what each upcoming blockbuster will contain.
Indeed, any leak or bit of information will spawn countless fan theories, which have the possibility to spoil the contents of the film. HBO's Westworld had this problem, as a season finale twist was discovered early on during its first season thanks to fans sharing clues and theories on the Internet as the season unfolded. Franchises like Harry Potter and Marvel have far more fans, so there is even more danger about a smart moviegoer figuring things out before a movie has even hit theaters. Although Marvel does seem decidedly more worried about spoilers and security than the company across the pond.
One reason for this juxtaposition is Marvel's past history with spoilers. Some of the MCU's biggest stars are notoriously bad with spoilers, resulting in more than one PR nightmare for the popular shared universe. Perhaps the biggest offender is Mark Ruffalo, who both spoiled the events of Avengers: Infinity War, and accidentally live streamed Thor: Ragnarok's premiere from his cellphone. He's not the only Marvel blabbermouth, however.
Tom Holland has also spoiled a fair amount of Spider-Man related information, so it seems that Marvel has a short leash 10 years into the shared universe game. And we can't blame the company.
Jude Law's conflicting experiences also make sense given the level of secrecy around his upcoming roles. While we know he'll be playing a younger version of Albus Dumbledore in The Crimes of Grindelwald, he refuses to confirm anything about his Captain Marvel role and we've had to look at toys and more for guesses. And that MCU blockbuster will arrive in theaters in just a few months. So while Law does any press or public appearances, he has to dodge questions about the Brie Larson headed project.
Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald will hit theaters first, arriving stateside on November 16th. The second of five films, David Yates' upcoming sequel will further expand the Wizarding World, and bridge the gap between the first movie and Harry's arrival in Hogwarts in The Sorcerer's Stone. Jude Law's Dumbledore will no doubt bring new light to the beloved character, who is still so mysterious to the generations of fans.
New information has been slowly released about The Crimes of Grindelwald, revealing more and more connections to the Harry Potter franchise we know and love. In addition to Voldemort's horocrux Nagini and Sorcerer's Stone creator Nicolas Flamel, it was recently revealed that Professor Minerva McGonagall will be in the upcoming movie--despite it being somewhat canon-breaking in regards to the character's age.
In typical Marvel fashion, Captain Marvel information has been hard to come by. The stakes of the Marvel Cinematic Universe has never been higher, as Captain Marvel is the final installment before Phase Three (and the MCU as we know it) ends with the still untitled Avengers 4 movie. Brie Larson's casting as Carol Danvers was announced years ago at San Diego Comic-Con, so the fans have been waiting quite some time to see Captain Marvel come to life.
Most of the cast of Captain Marvel have been announced, including surprise characters that are returning to the Marvel Cinematic Universe for the first time in years. This includes Guardians of the Galaxy's Ronin and Korath, as well as Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. star Clark Gregg as Phil Coulson. Samuel L. Jackson will also reprise his role as Nick Fury--digitally de-aged and given the use of both eyes.
Marvel fans believe that Jude Law will be playing Jude Law as Mar-Vell / Walter Lawson, but he still played cagey during his appearance on The Late Show. He's simply too scared to confirm anything, with both legal action and money on the line for keeping the MCU's secrets. But since Law will be doing plenty of more press leading up to the release of Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald, he'll have to keep dodging those queries, while also trying to keep the secrets of the Wizarding World at the same time.
Luckily for the fans, answers are finally on their way. Jude Law's Dumbledore will make his debut when Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald arrives on November 16th. And just a few months later, Captain Marvel will hit theaters March 8, 2019. In the meantime, check out out 2019 release list to plan your next trip to the movies.
