The latest issue of Empire has served up two new images for the upcoming Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald, which give us another glimpse at Jude Law’s young Albus Dumbledore and Eddie Redmayne’s magizoologist hero Newt Scamander.
In the first, the future Hogwarts headmaster appears to be having an argument with himself in the mirror while the second moves Law to a mock-up of old-timey London in a behind the scenes pic featuring the actor with Redmayne and director David Yates.
As we know by now, Dumbledore won’t leap into action in the sequel but will instead employ his former student Newt to go after the escaped dark wizard Gellert Grindelwald for him. We’re still not quite clear on exactly what’s keeping Albus from doing his own dirty work, but while speaking with Empire, Law suggested that there might be at least partially an emotional reason for why he turns to Newt.
“Jo [Rowling] told me that in some ways Dumbledore thinks of himself as a beast because of things he’s done in the past, and he knows therefore that Newt [as a beast-lover] will forgive him.”
The things he’s done in his past that Law speaks of presumably refers to the character’s tearaway teenage years while he was friends with Grindelwald. Rowling previously revealed that Dumbledore had romantic feelings for his pal, and Yates has confirmed that this would be hinted at – though not made explicit – in Crimes.
Case in point, the snap of Dumbledore arguing with his reflection. This is the Mirror of Erised, which shows a wizard his deepest heart’s desire. In the trailers, we’ve seen Albus looking into it and seeing… the young Grindelwald himself. So maybe the reason Albus can’t go against him is as simple as he thinks his emotions would get in the way of what needs to be done.
Either way, we’ll find out when Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald flies into cinemas on November 16th.
