Will Dumbledore and Grindelwald’s relationship ever reach the big screen?
Two days ago, the Blu-ray for Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald hit stores, and it includes revealing commentary from writer J.K. Rowling and director David Yates. In the special features, Rowling and Yates reflect on the relationship between Albus Dumbledore and Gellert Grindelwald.
On the special features of the disc, Rowling states:
Their relationship was incredibly intense. It was passionate, and it was a love relationship. But as happens in any relationship, gay or straight or whatever label we want to put on it, one never knows really what the other person is feeling. You can’t know, you can believe you know.
So I’m less interested in the sexual side — though I believe there is a sexual dimension to this relationship – than I am in the sense of the emotions, they felt for each other, which ultimately is the most fascinating thing about all human relationships.
Also, Yates reportedly says, “This is a story about two men who loved each other, and ultimately have to fight each other. It’s a story for the 21st century.”
The history of Rowling and Yates dodging the subject of sexuality is well-documented. However, the latest remarks make things more interesting; they’re suggesting the characters’ relationship is the crux of the whole Fantastic Beasts story. If that’s true, virtually none of it is dealt with directly on the screen; it’s all suggested in the margins. Rowling says she believes their relationship has a “sexual dimension.”
