Co-stars Eddie Redmayne and Jude Law look cosy in a new photo released yesterday (December 6) from the set of Fantastic Beasts 2: The Crimes of Grindelwald.
Eddie is dressed as his character Newt Scamander, while Jude is in costume as a young version of Albus Dumbledore, the beloved Hogwarts headmaster played first by Richard Harris then by Michael Gambon in the Harry Potter movies.
And okay, we can’t be sure it’s tea in Eddie’s styrofoam cup, but with two Brits on a set break, we reckon it’s a safe bet.
This second film in the Fantastic Beasts series is set 70 years before the events of Harry Potter, meaning Dumbledore (and Grindelwald, played by a white-haired Johnny Depp) is a young man still.
He enlists Newt’s help when Grindelwald escapes the custody of the Magical Congress of the United States of America (MACUSA), after being captured at the end of the first movie.
Some fans have noticed an intriguing detail in the photo: Dumbledore looks like he’s dressed as a muggle, unlike his costume in the first cast photo. Unless, of course, he’s not yet in costume, and he’s simply dressed as Jude Law.
A second photo was also released, this time of Eddie-as-Newt with his trusty briefcase in what looks like a sewer tunnel.
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Whatever’s happening here, it certainly looks like a departure from the first movie.
Sure enough, director David Yates told Entertainment Weekly: “The first film had a level of whimsy; the characters felt like children in grown-up bodies.
“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.”
Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald is due to open in theaters on November 16, 2018.
Are you looking forward to seeing Eddie and Jude on screen together?