JK Rowling Says Dumbledore Could Be Openly Gay In Fantastic Beasts Films

In less than two weeks, Harry Potter fans will be ushered back into the wizarding world when Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them hits theaters. The much-anticipated series will drop into cinemas and introduce moviegoers to Newt Scamander, a Magizoologist who unleashes countless magical creatures to the U.S. in the 1920s. The new timeframe will bring fans into a new era of fantastical stories, and Harry Potter fans already know they will get to see a younger incarnation of Albus Dumbledore in the franchise.

Now, JK Rowling is saying moviegoers might see Dumbledore’s sexuality explored in the new films.

During a recent press conference, Rowling spoke about Dumbledore’s inclusion in the franchise and addressed whether the wizard would be openly gay. “I’m very comfortable with the question,” Rowling started. “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,” Rowling explained. “We’ll see him at that formative period of his life. As far as his sexuality is concerned, watch this space.”

While fans were not explicitly shown Dumbledore’s sexuality in the Harry Potter books, but Rowling did out the character outside of the series. The author was asked by a fan whether the Hogwarts Headmaster had ever fallen in love, and Rowling said she truthfully felt the man was gay.

“Dumbledore fell in love with Grindelwald, and that that added to his horror when Grindelwald showed himself to be what he was. To an extent, do we say it excused Dumbledore a little more because falling in love can blind us to an extent?” She said. “But, he met someone as brilliant as he was, and rather like Bellatrix he was very drawn to this brilliant person, and horribly, terribly let down by him. Yeah, that’s how I always saw Dumbledore.”

While her comments did cause a stir with some fans, many were accepting of Dumbledore’s homosexuality. The man had a rather tumultuous relationship with Gellert Grindelwald during his youth, and Dumbledore was crushed to see the latter become the darkest wizard of all-time.

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Fans already know that Grindelwald will be a major part of the Fantastic Beasts films, so plenty are already wondering if the wizard will run into Dumbledore. These days, the clash is looking more and more likely. Director David Yates has said that Johnny Depp will be playing the dark wizard, so Warner Bros. will need to find a powerful actor who can match Depp’s performance.

So, what do you think? Would you like to see Dumbledore’s sexuality explored in Fantastic Beasts? Let us know in the comments below!

[H/T] Variety