The Internet Reacts To Jude Law As Young Dumbledore

Published on13 04 2017

Jude Law is set to join the Harry Potter universe as a young Albus Dumbledore in the as-yet-untitled sequel to last year's spin-off film Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them - and naturally, the Internet has a lot to say on the subject.

Given that the first Fantastic Beasts film was set in the 1920s, around 70 years before we first met Harry and co at Hogwarts, it's fair to assume that Law's take on the wizard previously played by Michael Gambon and the late Richard Harris will be in his forties to fifties. He will be pitted against the dark wizard Grindelwald, played by Johnny Depp - a casting decision that has been widely criticised by Potter fans due to the allegations of domestic violence which emerged during his divorce from Amber Heard last year.

'Jude Law is a phenomenally talented actor whose work I have long admired, and I’m looking forward to finally having the opportunity to work with him,' Fantastic Beasts director Yates said in a statement. 'I know he will brilliantly capture all the unexpected facets of Albus Dumbledore as JK Rowling reveals this very different time in his life.'

While Law might not have been the first name that popped into your head when it came to the conundrum of casting Hogwarts' favourite bearded and bespectacled headmaster, his casting isn't a total curveball either - for starters, he's one of the few major British actors who hasn't appeared in the Harry Potter franchise to date. He's also (as Twitter users haven't failed to point out) currently carving a niche in playing characters with the word 'young' prefixed to their names (see also: The Young Pope).

First, everyone got very over-excited. Because, Jude Law...