I Don’t Know What To Expect From Jude Law’s Dumbledore — And That’s Very Exciting

“Jared Harris, you’ve gotta pick Jared Harris!” screamed fans who were somehow convinced that Jared Harris would make a good Albus Dumbledore in the Fantastic Beasts films, despite possessing the charisma of a Nimbus 2000 and having literally no qualifications for the role other than being the son of a former (and, let’s be honest, inferior) incarnation of the character. Harris, unlike his father Richard and brother Jamie, is not a particularly enigmatic performer; he’s pleasant and safe; he’s is not an Albus Dumbledore.

Also on Warner Brothers’ list for the role, reportedly, were Christian Bale (too nasty), Mark Strong (too ordinary) and Benedict Cumberbatch (you must be joking, right?). If this was the talent considered, then let’s thank the Hogwarts founders themselves that the studio, director David Yates and writer J.K. Rowling ultimately chose Jude Law.

Ah, Jude Law. A mere year ago, I would’ve been extremely put-out by this casting, naively believing Jude Law to be a one-dimensional pretty-boy with the occasional ability for extreme sleaze. A mere year ago, I had not witnessed the almighty majesty of HBO’s The Young Pope, in which Law delivers one of modern television’s most enthralling performances, as the revolutionary pontiff of unknown motivations who challenges faith in Catholic institutions and religion itself with a series of captivating monologues and peculiar comedic sub-plots.

In The Young Pope, Jude Law is everything you want from a mysterious, powerful character: immeasurably charismatic but hiding secrets beneath his enchanting eyes. He’s effortlessly cool and very sexy. And he’s going to be a perfect Albus Dumbledore.

Michael Gambon’s depiction of the wizard may have diverged from batshit old man to wise father-figure, but Law is capable of capturing the character’s essence from Rowling’s books, particularly in his compelling younger life. Of course, Law’s Dumbledore is expected to be part of some sort of romantic relationship with Johnny Depp’s Gilbert Grindewald (I know, I know, I wish it was still Colin Farrell too) — a gay fling between Depp and Law seems a fantastic way for WB to advertise future Beasts films (the first having been almost universally considered a little too dry) to an adult audience.

Similarly, Law has the star power and prestige to, either literally or figuratively, replace Eddie Redmayne as the banner star of this five-film franchise. Redmayne’s Newt Scamander was, goodwill aside, not a compelling enough figure to sustain that sort of franchise. With Dumbledore and Grindewald by his side, we’ve some pretty exciting Wizarding World adventure ahead!