Dumbledore and Grindelwald do not share any scenes together in Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald. Although the two characters have a past relationship, as teased by Harry Potter author J.K. Rowling, they will not appear together as played by Jude Law and Johnny Depp at any point during the movie.

In Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald, Dumbledore (Law) asks former expelled Hogwarts student Newt Scamander (Eddie Redmayne) to help him recapture Grindelwald (Depp), who escaped custody from the U.S. Magical Congress. Grindelwald is now recruiting followers in a dastardly plan to create an army of pureblood wizards to reign over all magical and non-magical humans. In 2017, Rowling admitted that the two men once had a close romantic relationship with each other, though it was hinted at in the Harry Potter books as well.

It seems, though, that Fantastic Beasts 2 will not delve further into that relationship. In an interview with EW, Law admitted that he did not have a chance to work with Depp during filming.

After Rowling completed the Harry Potter series of books, she eventually revealed that Dumbledore was gay. Law spoke about how that might or might not affect how moviegoers see the character in this movie.

“I don’t actually have any scenes with Johnny. As I said before, this is only Part 2 of a longer story. I’ve always admired him from afar, but we don’t know each other, and I’ve not yet met him on this. In many ways that suits the relationship as it’s been many years since they’ve seen each other. So there’s complexity in that that’s fun to mine. Again, the past will reveal itself.”

Fantastic Beasts 2 director David Yates already admitted that the movie will not explicitly show Dumbledore as gay. According to Law, that does not mean that the romantic relationship between Dumbledore and Grindelwald won’t get mentioned later on. For the time being, though, the current film plans to shy away from it. The decision to do so, though, could have more to do with Depp’s casting than homophobia. In the wake of Depp’s now ex-wife, Amber Heard, accusing him of domestic violence, many Harry Potter fans criticized his casting as the iconic villain. However, Rowling continues to defend that casting decision, but her statements do little to satisfy many fans who criticized the casting in the first place.

“What you got to remember this is only the second Fantastic Beasts film in a series and what’s brilliant about Jo’s writing is how she reveals her characters, peels them to the heart over time. You’re just getting to know Albus in this film, and there’s obviously a lot more to come. We learn a little about his past in the beginning of this film, and characters and their relationships will unfold naturally which I’m excited to reveal. But we’re not going to reveal everything all at once.”

It seems, though, that the movie might put less focus on Grindelwald than initially intended. Taking Law’s statement into account, as well as considering how little of Grindelwald appears in the movie’s trailer, it seems that Warner Bros. is also a bit nervous about Depp’s continued involvement in the franchise.

It’s still a disappointment, though, that longtime Harry Potter fans won’t get to see Dumbledore and Grindelwald in the same room, much less discussing their past relationship with each other. Considering the history the two men supposedly have together, it feels odd not to have at least one scene where they confront each other.

More: Fantastic Beasts Producer Explains Why the Sequel Will Be Better

Source: EW

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