In addition to being the author behind the worldwideHarry Potterphenomenon and the writer of the screenplay forFantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them,J.K. Rowlinghas been a celebrity advocate for human rights — that includes LGBTQ rights. While she previously told fans that there are, of course, gay characters in her magical world, we may see Albus Dumbledore himself as an openly gay wizard on the big screen in aFantastic Beastssequel.
During a press conference with the cast and crew on Thursday, Rowling suggested this will be a possibility when Dumbledore appears down the line. According toVariety, she said:
Well, I’m very comfortable with the question. I would like to say, because this is obviously a five-part story, there’s lots to unpack in that relationship … You will see Dumbledore as a younger man and quite a troubled man. We’ll see him at that formative period of his life. As far as his sexuality is concerned … watch this space.
Dumbledore was played byRichard HarrisandMichael Gambonin theHarry Potterfilms, and directorDavid Yatesconfirmedthey’ve begun their casting search for a younger Dumbledorein theFantastic Beastssequels, of whichthere will be four. Rowling revealed the character to be gay in 2007, and we know the character had a tumultuous relationship with the dark wizardGellert Grindelwald(played in the films byJohnny Depp) during his younger years.
LGBTQ visibility in Hollywood films is still incredibly low: according toGLAAD’s annual report card, there were only 22 out of 126 movies released by a major studio in 2015 that featured LGBTQ characters. Oftentimes what you end up with is something likeStar Trek Beyond, a film that tried envisioning Sulu as a gay man with a family and ended up withsomething so diluted many audiences couldn’t tell the difference. In other words, the “don’t ask, don’t tell” approach.
The first of theFantastic Beastsfilms opens on November 18th. Here’s hoping Rowling & co. don’t let us down.
