‘Fantastic Beasts 2’: Jude Law Talked To J.K. Rowling About Playing Dumbledore

A lot of people would shell out big bucks just to have a one-on-one conversation with famed “Harry Potter” author J.K. Rowling, but “Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald” star Jude Law is lucky because he got a sit-down with the author just to discuss his new role as the young Albus Dumbledore.

“Do you know what I did? I sat in a room for an afternoon with J.K. Rowling, and I listened to her extraordinary words of wisdom,” Law shared with ET. “She was kind enough to share with me the whole backstory and her future hopes for this young character of Dumbledore and really that set me on the path. I just did what the writer said.”

It’s a huge responsibility to play the young Dumbledore, especially since the character is so beloved to “Harry Potter” fans. But since Law stayed true to Rowling’s vision, fans would most likely be pleased with his performance.

When asked for any details about Dumbledore’s adventures, that’s when Law decided to stay quiet. “I can’t say much,” he admitted.

Law’s Dumbledore will be going head to head with his former best friend-turned-nemesis, Gellert Grindelwald (Johnny Depp), and he will be relying on his student, Newt Scamander (Eddie Redmayne), to help take down the dark wizard.

Director David Yates told Entertainment Weekly that the characters of the sequel are more grown-up, so it was exciting for them to incorporate a little bit of romance and a lot more mystery this time around.

“The first film had a level of whimsy; the characters felt like children in grown-up bodies,” he said. “In this movie, it gets grittier and more nuanced and detailed. It’s quite a romantic film, it’s a thriller, it’s quite an interesting combination of genres you rarely see together. I think it will surprise people.”

The first “Fantastic Beasts” film was mostly shot in the U.S., and J.K. Rowling even created a rich backstory for witches in America — from the magical school Ilvermorny to the Magical Congress of the United States of America (MACUSA), which is its counterpart for the Ministry of Magic.

However, producer David Heyman said the sequel will veer away from America since the movie was mostly shot in Paris. “[The film] almost entirely takes place in Paris,” Heyman said. “We delve deeper into [J.K. Rowling’s] wizarding world — we’re in Paris, we’re in London and New York — the world is expanding.”

“Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald” will be released on Nov. 16, 2018.