‘Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them’: JK Rowling Picks Her Gay Dumbledore, Defends Johnny Depp’s Casting

Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them, the first installment in the Harry Potter prequel series, is yet to hit the theaters, but there are already talks about the second movie in the five-part movie franchise. One of the major revelations recently made is that a young Albus Dumbledore, who may be openly gay, will be seen in the second Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them movie. J.K. Rowling already has an actor in mind for the role.

The Harry Potter series creator, who is making a screenwriting debut with Fantastic Beasts franchise, has said that she has an actor in mind for Dumbledore, but she did not reveal the name to avoid any kind of acrimony if another actor is cast, according to E! News.

“I have, of course, thought about this. I do have a name. I do have someone in mind, but I can’t say it. Because if that person doesn’t get cast, then the person who does get cast will blame me forever for having said it, won’t they? So, I’m going to just keep quiet.”

Rowling has described Dumbledore of Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them as a “troubled man” who will be seen in the formative period of his life, according to Variety. In 2007, the writer said that she had always imagined Dumbledore as a gay character, and now she has hinted that in the second Fantastic Beast movie, Dumbledore may be openly gay.

“You will see Dumbledore as a younger man and quite a troubled man. We’ll see him at that formative period of his life. As far as his sexuality is concerned, watch this space.”

Meanwhile, Rowling has also come out in support of Johnny Depp’s casting as Dumbledor’s rival, the dark wizard Gellert Grindelwald. Depp’s casting triggered an avalanche of criticism on social media, mainly because of his ex-wife’s allegations that he had domestically abused her during the “eternity” of their relationship.

The Harry Potter creator, however, is delighted that Depp is playing a role in Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them. She told Metro that the Pirates of the Caribbean actor has done “incredible things” with the character of Grindelwald.

“I’m delighted. He has done incredible things with that character.”

Director David Yates has also defended Depp’s casting, saying that he is the best actor for the role. Depp has a brief appearance in the upcoming movie, but his role becomes bigger in the subsequent installments. Yates said that Depp’s Grindelwald “takes more of a foreground” as the Beasts step back in Fantastic Beasts 2.

Like Rowling, Yates, too, is happy with Depp’s performance in Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them, and he has called him a “real artist” and a “really brilliant, brilliant actor” in his interview with The Leaky Cauldron.org.

“… We were excited about seeing what he would do with this guy, the character. He’s fearless; he’s imaginative; he’s ambitious. We thought he would do something fun and special. So we went for him, purely on that selfish basis. We don’t care if he’s famous or not famous. We just know he’s interesting.”

Set in New York in 1926, seventy years before the Harry Potter series, Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them stars Eddie Redmayne as Newt Scamander, a famous magizoologist of the Wizarding world. The movie also stars Katherine Waterston as Porpentina “Tina” Goldstein; Dan Fogler as Jacob Kowalski; Alison Sudol as Queenie Goldstein; Colin Farrell as Percival Graves; and Carmen Ejogo as President Seraphina Picquery.

The cast of #FantasticBeasts shines on the black carpet at the NYC premiere tonight. pic.twitter.com/DWdz2Mcb9V

— Fantastic Beasts (@FantasticBeasts) November 11, 2016

Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them opens worldwide on November 18, 2016. The movie held its world premiere in New York on Thursday, November 10, which was attended by Rowling, Redmayne and other cast members.

[Featured Image by Michael Loccisano/Getty Images]