The final trailer for Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald is out, and it’s giving us an idea of the franchise's gay representation.
After the final Harry Potter novel was published, world-renowned writer J.K. Rowling shared the fact that Harry’s mentor Albus Dumbledore was gay.
Ever since that announcement, fans have expressed interest in exploring Dumbledore’s past and his traumatic relationship with dark wizard Grindelwald.
Then, Rowling announced a new series of films that would explore a new aspect of her ever-growing “Wizarding World.” While the first film saw no sight of Dumbledore, it did reveal the infamous Grindelwald.
Now with the second film in the five-part series on the horizon, it seems that fans will be getting the gay storyline that they’ve wanted for years.
The Trailer
In the middle of the final trailer, which you can watch below, we see Dumbledore (played by Jude Law) looking into the Mirror of Erised. This enchanted mirror allows the viewer to see their heart’s deepest desire.
The trailer then shows a younger Dumbledore (played by Toby Regbo who also acted as Young Dumbledore in Harry Potter And The Deathly Hollows Part 1). This Young Dumbledore places his palm against the mirror as he looks at a Young Grindelwald.
You can watch the scene and trailer below.
The Relevance
But for those not enveloped in Harry Potter and Wizarding World lore, here is why this scene is significant.
J.K. Rowling has kept the full truth of Dumbledore’s past a close secret. She has only revealed fragments of the story in interviews or through biased character reporting in her writing.
What fans officially know so far is that Dumbledore befriended a charismatic youth named Gellert Grindelwald during his teenage years. Together, the two obsessed over a legendary story about three magical artifacts called the Deathly Hollows.
In addition, there is the added implication that the two men fell in love. Sadly, that love and friendship turned sour as Dumbledore’s younger sister became a sacrifice to the adventures and experiements of the two men.
Dumbledore went on to become a great wizard of good and Grindelwald became a great wizard of evil.
This is where Fantastic Beasts: Crimes of Grindelwald sees the two characters as the film begins.
The Controversy
But the question still stands, will there be gay context to Dumbledore’s story and conflict with Grindelwald?
As soon as J.K. Rowling announced that a Young Dumbledore would appear in this Harry Potter spin-off franchise, fans assumed that his sexuality would be explored. Then, Director David Yates announced that the character’s sexuality would not be “explicitly explored.” Some fans revolted.
In response to that outrage, J.K. Rowling tweeted out a message saying that it was unfair of people to judge an unreleased screenplay for a yet to be distributed film in a five-part series.
Then Jude Law jumped into the fray to say that the character’s sexuality isn’t explored in this film but could sometime in the next three movies.
“Jo Rowling revealed some years back that Dumbledore was gay. That was a question I actually asked Jo and she said, yes, he’s gay. But as with humans, your sexuality doesn’t necessarily define you; he’s multifaceted. I suppose the question is: How is Dumbledore’s sexuality depicted in this film?”
The actor continued: “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.”
The Premiere
Will the Mirror of Erised scene be the only indication of the gay romance and past between the film’s most powerful wizards? Is it another indication of having to know about the gay context before seeing the film? Will it act as foreshadowing for future movies?
We’ll find out in only a few months as Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald will premiere in the US on November 16.
