As our sister site Into reported, it “seems that Warner Bros. Discovery (WBD) may have inadvertently confirmed that the Fantastic Beasts franchise may no longer be a thing. In a recent Q3 earnings call with WBD CEO David Zaslav it was revealed that no Wizarding World content was in current development. This includes Harry Potter and Fantastic Beasts intellectual property.”
That means wizard Dumbledore’s cinematic adventures may have come to an abrupt stop, and while WBD won’t say it publicly, it’s likely that poor box office numbers, drama surrounding stars Ezra Miller and Johnny Depp, and even more drama surrounding Harry Potter creator J.K. Rowling all contributed to the decision.
So perhaps it’s for the best.
But how much do you really know about the famed, gay wizard? Let’s dive in…
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Unless you’ve been living under a rock for the last couple of decades, you’d surely know who Dumbledore is. Of course, it’s Albus Percival Wulfric Brian Dumbledore, the headmaster of Hogwarts from the Harry Potter franchise. Dumbledore was introduced more than 20 years ago to the masses as a wise headmaster who was supportive of Harry Potter throughout his schooling at Hogwarts.
However, as the stories unfolded, one after the other, Harry Potter fans understood that Dumbledore’s history is full of adventurous experiences. One of the franchise’s most important characters, much was revealed about Dumbledore’s backstory in the Fantastic Beasts movie series.
So, if you are new to the Harry Potter franchise or a fan who would like to know more about the Hogwarts headmaster, read on.
Dumbledore at a glance
If time isn’t on your side and you can’t spare enough of it to go through this entire post, this section is for you to get a few quick stats about Dumbledore. However, if you have the time, we recommend reading on for more exciting information about the wizard headmaster.
- Birthday: 1881
- Died: June 30, 1997
- Height: 6 feet 1 inch (1.85 meters)
- Nationality: British
A favorite on paper, even more adored on screen
Dumbledore was already popular with the readers of J.K. Rowling’s Harry Potter books. However, after Harry Potter and The Philosopher’s Stone marked the entry of the franchise on the big screen, Dumbledore became one of the world’s most popular fictional characters, portrayed in the Harry Potter films by Richard Harris and Michael Gambon, and by Jude Law in Fantastic Beasts. The movies that followed expanded on the character and the Fantastic Beasts series gave fans greater insights into his history.
The character arc
Just finished this piece. #dumbledore and #snape. #HarryPotterUniverse #harrypotter #always #hogwarts #AlanRickman pic.twitter.com/KNTBbt9GW6
— Michail (@DemoralizeD_MM) January 16, 2019
In wizarding world canon, Dumbledore was greatly affected by the deaths of his parents, Percival and Kendra Dumbledore, when he was young. As he grew older, he fell in love with Gellert Grindelwald, a powerful dark wizard. However, initially, he was unable to act against Grindelwald directly. Leta Lestrange’s death changed him and he found determination to act against him and provided counsel to the resistance against the person he loved.
Eventually, Dumbledore and Grindelwald came face to face. Dumbledore won the duel and went on to become a legend of the wizarding world as he discovered how to use dragon’s blood. He also earned recognition for his efforts in alchemy alongside Nicolas Flamel.
Dumbledore also led the resistance against Lord Voldermort. As the First Wizarding War was ongoing, he founded the Order of the Phoenix. He also led the Order during the Second Wizarding War. He is one of Harry Potter’s biggest mentors and also supportive of Harry’s friends – Ron and Hermione. Dumbledore’s death at the hands of Snape was pre-planned by the two Hogwarts masters.
Dumbledore is gay
In 2007, J.K. Rowling revealed for the first time that Dumbledore is gay. However, nowhere in the books or the movies is Dumbledore seen explicitly acknowledging that he is gay. But since Rowling herself had come out about Dumbledore’s sexuality, who are we to speculate?
How was the reaction to Rowling’s revelation?
LGBTQ advocates were quite favorable in their response to Rowling’s revelation that Dumbledore is gay. They were of the opinion that the author’s statement about Dumbledore’s sexuality would go a long way toward promoting queer acceptance. Also, for many fans, this revelation was conclusive, as there were suspicions surrounding Dumbledore’s sexual orientation due to this behavior with Grindelwald.
However, there was plenty of criticism as well, and many accused the famous author of engaging in a publicity stunt. Many also criticized Rowling for never allowing the character to express his sexual orientation before he died in Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince. Critics suggest that Rowling had written around 800,000 words before deciding to get the character killed. According to fans, Dumbledore’s sexual orientation is something that the character himself should have spoken about.
Things got hairy with Harry
J.K. Rowling’s revelation that Dumbledore is gay came as a pillar of support for the LGBTQ community. However, Rowling has since also come out herself as a TERF—posting tweet after tweet reiterating her anti-trans views.
While many queer people found comfort in Harry Potter’s closet as they came into their own, these new views are putting into question their support of the Harry Potter franchise.
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Toofie
It just comes down to economics. Each film has grossed much less than the previous one. There just has been no buzz for these films. No lead character that the audience has connected with is the biggest flaw. The “controversies” really had nothing to do with that since WB stated they’d like more Potter films and they’re still going ahead with The Flash movie.
DarkZephyr
“The unpopularity of the movies just comes down to the movies being unpopular” seems to be what you’re saying.
LunaSol2010
I thought first it was a huge learning opportunity. But over time its just a tolerance thing. Like a rash is tolerated until it goes away. Because there is so much student romance and zero coupling of any adults we only see one happy family in the entire series. The Weasleys. What a live story.
Dumbledore was a red herring that seemed trite. Planted and never really supported 9n any storyline
And so vague in the films if you blink you would miss it.
I am disappointed and sad about all the drama surrounding her ‘trans not women or real men’ dismissal of humanities.
I could not find $34.99 agai to read anything she wrote or writes.
Sometimes we get too much
in- formation
LumpyPillows
While I enjoyed the Fantastic Beasts trilogy, I did not think they were as well thought out as the original series. The movie production quality was fine. I’m confident there will be more movies in the HP world, I think they may be done with this arc. As much as I like JK’s books, I think her movie screen plays lose out for not having stated as books first.
Next up – the future with adult Harry, Hermione and Ron.
Cam
Oh please, claiming a character is gay with no evidence to support it in the books. How 1980s of her.
LumpyPillows
So inconvenient for you and your vendetta against JK to have to admit she went out of here way to support the LGBT cause by making Dumbledore gay. She did this in 2007, in spite of the potential damage to the HP world. It was so much more important at the time than anything you can make up now about her support for women in instances where their interests diverge from those of trans women – and there are a few. Sad you can’t be a man about it. Petty really.