According to Fantastic Beasts director David Yates, Albus Dumbledore’s sexuality will not play a major part in the upcoming sequel, The Crimes of Grindelwald.
“Not explicitly,” Yates said in EW interview. “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.”
The director then added more about the young Dumbledore (played by Jude Law) in the new movie. “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.”
But this doesn’t mean that Dumbledore’s sexuality won’t be addressed in the five-part Fantastic Beasts franchise as Harry Potter creator and screenwriter J.K. Rowling said two years ago.
“I can’t tell you everything I would like to say because this is obviously a five-part story so there’s lots to unpack in that relationship,” Rowling said in a press con at the time. “You will see Dumbledore as a younger man and quite a troubled man — he wasn’t always the sage…We’ll see him at that formative period of his life. As far as his sexuality is concerned … watch this space.”
Recently, Rowling took to Twitter to respond to some fans who were upset by Yates’ comments, writing that they’re jumping to conclusions about her long-term plan for Dumbledore’s character.
Being sent abuse about an interview that didn't involve me, about a screenplay I wrote but which none of the angry people have read, which is part of a five-movie series that's only one instalment in, is obviously tons of fun, but you know what's even *more* fun? pic.twitter.com/Rj6Zr8aKUk
— J.K. Rowling (@jk_rowling) January 31, 2018
In 2007, just after the Harry Potter series ended, J.K. Rowling first revealed that Hogwart’s favorite headmaster was gay and was in love with the infamous dark wizard Gellert Grindelwald during his youth.
“I always thought of Dumbledore as gay. Dumbledore fell in love with Grindelwald, and that added to his horror when Grindelwald showed himself to be what he was,” Rowling said during an appearance at Carnegie Hall.
Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald will hit theatres on Nov. 16.
