Jude Law
Actor Jude Law will play a younger Albus Dumbledore in the upcoming sequel to Fantastic Beasts Carlos Alvarez/Getty Images

Actor Jude Law will play the role of Albus Dumbledore in the sequel to Fantastic Beasts And Where To Find Them. The Oscar-nominated actor is expected to portray a much younger version of the Hogwarts professor, decades before his being made headmaster.

In the first Fantastic Beasts film, protagonist Newt Scamander only made mention of Dumbledore as someone who argued his case when he was expelled. Now, in the sequel, we will get a chance to see Dumbledore in his younger days, as the wizarding school's Transfiguration professor.

Dumbledore
Michael Gambon played Albus Dumbledore in the Harry Potter films following the death of the original actor Richard Harris Warner Bros
More entertainment news

He is also a contemporary of Gellert Grindelwald – the Dark wizard we first met in Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them, played by Johnny Depp.

"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," the film's director David Yates said in a statement following the casting. "I know he will brilliantly capture all the unexpected facets of Albus Dumbledore as JK Rowling reveals this very different time in his life."

Toby Emmerich, president and chief content officer of Warner Bros. Pictures, echoed similar sentiments: "Jude has been a member of the Warner Bros. family for years and we're excited to embark on this new adventure with him."

Law was among a number of British stars being considered for the important role, including Christian Bale, Benedict Cumberbatch, Mark Strong and Jared Harris. Fans of the Potterverse, however, seem happy enough with the choice and took to Twitter to welcome the Young Pope actor to the magical world.

Now with Law putting a face to the younger Dumbledore, fans are already attempting to connect the dots based on Rowling's previous statements, especially around his sexuality. In 2016, the author and screen-writer explained that Dumbledore will be depicted as "quite a troubled man".

"We'll see him at that formative period of his life," she said, before dropping a major bombshell: "As far as his sexuality is concerned... watch this space."

Most bets are now on the professor pairing up with Grindelwald in the sequel – which means Law and Depp may get to have one of the big screen's most magical gay relationships.

Fantastic Beasts 2 will also see the return of Eddie Redmayne, Alison Sudol, Dan Fogler, Katherine Waterston, and Ezra Miller. The second of the five-part series is slated for release on 16 November, 2018.