Let’s Talk About Young Albus Dumbledore

Nov 22, 2016

Posted by: Storie Chastain

Casting, Fandom, Fans, Fantastic Beasts, Fantastic Beasts Movie, Interactive, Movies, News

There has been an ever-present question surrounding the Fantastic Beasts franchise about wether a young version of Albus Dumbledore will make an appearance in later films.  Since the press week surrounding the Fantastic Beasts World Premiere, we now know for sure that young Dumbledore will be a central character within the Fantastic Beasts series, beginning with the second film, coming in 2018. During our interview with David Yates and David Heyman, they jokingly asked for suggestions for actors to play young Dumbledore.

Jo and the Davids seem keen on making the epic Dumbledore-Grindelwald battle the climax of the film, focusing on on Grindelwald’s reign of terror throughout the 4 remaining films. The last film will take place in 1945, which happens to be the year that the famous duel between Dumbledore and Grindelwald takes place. This saga will most likely end in sparks as the two go head-to-head. How Newt is a part of this, we’re still not quite sure.

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Back to the point, since the confirmation of young Dumbledore, we are asking the same question as the Davids. Who will portray young Albus Dumbledore in the movies? Keep in mind, Dumbledore will be between 45 and 64 years old during Fantastic Beasts (though, makeup, costume and CGI can certainly be added to make any of these actors look a little older). There have been fan casts coming in left and right, here are the top 5 (in no particular order):

 

1. James McAvoy

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Many of the fans seem to agree that James McAvoy would portray young Dumbledore quite well. There seems to be only one issue with this casting though, James McAvoy is a little young for the role. In Fantastic Beasts, Dumbledore would be 60 years younger than in the Harry Potter, which roughly puts him between 40-50 years of age. Seeing as Johnny Depp is 53 and is portraying someone who is around the same age as Dumbledore, James McAvoy’s 37 years does not quite match up. But, having acted in a similar, popular franchise, it shows he is a good actor and would be popular among fans.

 

2. Jared Harris

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This casting is also very popular among fans, for a few different reasons. First, being that he is the son of Richard Harris, who originally portrayed Dumbledore, in the first two Harry Potter films. Second, young Dumbledore is described to be tall, thin, with blue eyes and ginger hair, which  fits Jared Harris pretty well. So, Jared already resembles a Dumbledore we’ve seen, as well as the canon description of Dumbledores. His acting skills aren’t too shabby either, if I may say so myself.

 

3. Paul Bettany

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Not only does Paul Bettany match the books description of Dumbledore, but he is also very good friends with Johnny Depp. So, he would be a good casting look-wise and have chemistry with Dumbledore’s counterpart. Paul Bettany shows, in his role as Vision, that he could deliver certain lines in a dry sort of way that makes them unintentionally funny, like we have seen from Dumbledore in the past.

 

4. Luke Evans

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Here, we hit the age issue again. Luke Evans is the same age as James McAvoy, only 37 years old, but he is also quite popular among fans. This casting is very similar to the James McAvoy casting in that he has also previously acted in a similar franchise. He is also openly gay, which would only be a bonus, since JK Rowling has outed Dumbledore as gay.

 

5. Ewan McGregor

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We have already seen him portray, a wise, mentor-type before. While young Dumbledore will not be exactly like the Dumbledore we’ve seen before, and will probably not be as wise, Obi-Wan Kanobi is a good example of why people think Ewan McGregor could pull of young Dumbledore. He is also a natural redhead, with blue eyes, which would make him a good casting, look-wise as well as skill-wise.

 

Well there you have it, the top 5 fan casts for young Albus Dumbledore! Leave a comment and tell us who you think would make a good Dumbledore!





The Leaky Cauldron is not associated with J.K. Rowling, Warner Bros., or any of the individuals or companies associated with producing and publishing Harry Potter books and films.