Warner Bros. has announced that Jude Law (AI, Sherlock Holmes, The Young Pope) has signed on to play the young Albus Dumbledore in the planned follow-up to the mega-successful Fantastic Beasts and where to Find Them. He'll join the returning Eddie Redmayne as Newt Scamader, and Johnny Depp as the villainous Grindelwald.
Dumbledore was originally brought to life by the late Richard Harris in the first two Harry Potter films, but the role then went to Michael Gambon following Harris' passing in 2002. Apparently, the studio also looked at the likes of Christian Bale, Benedict Cumberbatch, and Mark Strong to play the younger version of the iconic wizard, before deciding on Law.
“Jude Law is a phenomenally talented actor whose work I have long admired, and I’m looking forward to finally having the opportunity to work with him,” director David Yates said in a statement. “I know he will brilliantly capture all the unexpected facets of Albus Dumbledore as J.K. Rowling reveals this very different time in his life.”
Fantastic Beasts 2 hits theaters on Nov. 16, 2018.
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