Jude Law has been slowly easing himself into the role of Albus Dumbledore in the Fantastic Beasts series, stepping into the shoes of Richard Harris and Michael Gambon as the iconic Harry Potter character. Of course, the 47 year-old actor has barely been given a chance to show what he can do in the part, but that’s all by design, as the entire five-film franchise slowly builds towards an epic showdown between Dumbledore and Grindelwald with the fate of the Wizarding World at stake.
As prequels, we already know how things turn out in the end, but hopefully the journey is worth the lack of surprises along the way. Law will soon have to share the screen with a new sparring partner, though, as Johnny Depp was forced to resign by Warner Bros. after coming out on the losing end of his recent libel trial, with Mads Mikkelsen already waiting in the wings as his replacement.
Now, the Sherlock Holmes star has finally broken his silence on Depp’s exit from Fantastic Beasts 3, but those looking for any salacious details will be disappointed, as Law’s answer very firmly toes the company line.
“It’s an enormous film, and there are many, many layers to it. It’s probably one of the biggest productions I’ve ever worked on. And in a situation like this, you defer to the studio. That’s all you can do. Because you have to turn up and play your part. It was unusual for me because, in fact, on this particular role, Johnny had actually only done a day’s filming, I think, on his own. In a franchise like this, it’s the studio and the company that make the big decisions. And you have to go along with those, because we’re just a member of the team.”
With Fantastic Beasts 3 shaping up to be the make or break installment for the franchise given the disappointing critical and commercial reactions to The Crimes of Grindelwald, it more than likely won’t be until after the movie arrives in the summer of 2022 that we’ll get the full story about what Depp’s former co-stars really made of the whole situation, and with shooting already well underway, the cast are intent on looking forward and delivering a sequel that brings the flagging spinoff series back from the brink.
