Jude Law
Jude Law has just been cast as young Albus Dumbledore in the “Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them” sequel. In this photo, the actor attends the photocall for the movie “The Young Pope” at the 73rd Venice Film Festival in Venice, Italy on Sept. 3, 2016. Reuters/Alessandro Bianchi

It’s hard to imagine Albus Dumbledore as a young man, much less him being played by Jude Law. But this is exactly what fans can expect in the upcoming “Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them” sequel.

Law will be joined by Johnny Depp who plays his best friend-turned-nemesis Gellert Grindelwald in the 2018 movie, according to Entertainment Weekly.

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According to the character description, in the movie, “Law will portray Dumbledore long before the iconic wizard became the Headmaster at Hogwarts, as he has been known in the Harry Potter books and movies. We meet him decades earlier when Dumbledore is still serving as the wizarding school’s Transfiguration professor. He is also a contemporary of Gellert Grindelwald, the charismatic dark wizard who believes wizards are superior to muggles and no-majs.”

Director David Yates believes casting Law was a fine decision, since he will breathe new life to Dumbledore. “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,” he 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.”

This piece of news came right after Sir Ian McKellen revealed that he almost played the role of Dumbledore after its original actor, Richard Harris, passed away.

As much as he would have loved to be a part of the movie franchise, McKellen said he could not accept the role because Harris thought he was “technically brilliant but passionless.”

“When they called me up and said would I be interested in being in the ‘Harry Potter’ films, they didn’t say in what part,” he explained on BBC’s HARDtalk show. “I worked out what they were thinking, and I couldn’t… I couldn’t take over the part from an actor who I’d known didn’t approve of me.”

“Fantastic Beasts 2” will hit theaters Nov. 16, 2018.

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