While speaking to Radiotimes.com about his role as a plasticine hero in Aardman’s Early Man (read our review here), Newt Scamander himself, Eddie Redmayne, had a few tidbits about November’s Fantastic Beats: The Crimes of Grindelwald, specifically Jude Law’s take on Albus Dumbledore.
Keen to keep as much locked up in his chamber of secrets as possible, Redmayne spoke of his experience working with Law, saying “I’ve known Jude for many years and I like him hugely and it was really wonderful watching him find the young version of Dumbledore.”. When pressed further to reveal anything particular about the performance, Redmayne would only offer up the word “Playful”, which is exactly how you’d expect a young Albus Dumbledore to be.
The Oscar winning actor went on to shed some light on how the film would focus on their characters, saying that “It’s really a progression of the story as we left off and what’s going on with him and his relationship with Dumbledore”.
SEE ALSO: J.K. Rowling says she is “genuinely happy” with Johnny Depp casting in Fantastic Beasts
At the end of the first film, the powerful Dark wizard Gellert Grindelwald (Johnny Depp) was captured by MACUSA (Magical Congress of the United States of America), with the help of Newt Scamander (Eddie Redmayne). But, making good on his threat, Grindelwald escaped custody and has set about gathering followers, most unsuspecting of his true agenda: to raise pure-blood wizards up to rule over all non-magical beings.
In an effort to thwart Grindelwald’s plans, Albus Dumbledore (Jude Law) enlists his former student Newt Scamander, who agrees to help, unaware of the dangers that lie ahead. Lines are drawn as love and loyalty are tested, even among the truest friends and family, in an increasingly divided wizarding world.
Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald is set for release on November 18th 2018 and sees David Yates directing a cast that includes Eddie Redmayne as Newt Scamander, Katherine Waterston as Tina Goldstein, Alison Sudol as Queenie Goldstein,Dan Fogler as Jacob Kowalski, Ezra Miller as Credence Barebone, Zoe Kravitz as Leta Lestrange, Kevin Guthrie as Abernathy, Johnny Depp as Gellert Grindelwald, Jude Law as Albus Dumbledore, Callum Turner as Theseus Scamander, William Nadylam as Yusuf Kama, Ingvar Sigurdsson as Grimmson, Ólafur Darri Ólafsson as Skender, David Sakurai as Krall, Brontis Jodorowsky as Nicolas Flamel, Wolf Roth as Spielman, Victoria Yeates as Bunty, Derek Riddell as Torquil Travers, Poppy Corby-Tuech as Rosier, Cornell S. John as Arnold Guzman and Claudia Kim as Maledictus.