The fact that Albus Dumbledore was set to appear in the sequel to 'Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them' sparked huge news for Potterheads everywhere. Dumbledore is actually set to have quite an important role in 'Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald' which many thought would provide Warner Bros with the perfect opportunity to reveal to the film universe that the 'Harry Potter' character is gay. Unfortunately, it doesn't sound like that reveal is going to happen anytime soon.
One of the big questions we had for 'The Crimes of Grindelwald' was whether we'd see a budding relationship between Dumbledore and Gellert Grindelwald. David Yates, director of the film spoke to EW about the prospects: the character's homosexuality won't be dealt with "explicitly...But I think all the fans are aware of that. He had a very intense relationship with Grindelwald when they were young men. They fell in love with each other's ideas, and ideology and each other", he mentioned.
Whilst the news is disappointing, author, J.K. Rowling hasn't ruled out the potential to showcase the romantic storyline in future installments. The author, who revealed back in 2007 that she always saw Dumbledore as gay, also wrote the screenplay for the upcoming film. "I can't tell you everything I would like to say because this is obviously a five-part story so there's lots to unpack in that relationship. You will see Dumbledore as a younger man and quite a troubled man - he wasn't always the sage...We'll see him at that formative period of his life. As far as his sexuality is concerned ... watch this space".
A Young Dumbledore
So, for now, it appears as though all we can do is sit tight and wait to see if Dumbeldore's homosexuality is addressed in any of the other 3 sequels in the saga. Aside from that storyline, director Yates did let on that the Dumbledore we'll see is "a maverick and a rebel and he's an inspiring teacher at Hogwarts. He's witty and has a bit of edge. He's not this elder statesman. He's a really kinetic guy. And opposite Johnny Depp as Grindelwald, they make an incredible pairing". Jude Law will be portraying Dumbledore.
'Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald' is set for UK release on 16th November.
