Dumbledore clarifications
December 30, 2002 at 2:01 PM ET
The Leaky Cauldron
- No one has yet been cast.
- The rumors about using Harris' face over his body double's acting are false.
- Christopher Lee has not been approached but has said that he would probably say yes if he were.
- Ian McKellen has not been cast. We have never even heard anything about him being approached - this does not mean he has not been approached, but the reports (including those on his official site) only say that "he will not be playing Dumbledore," and that he's more interested in other Potter roles (Karkaroff? MadEye? Let the speculation begin...). This whole rumor mill was probably started by people's dream casting being thrown about - I know many people would love for McKellen to play Dumbledore and have been vocal about it (myself included, though not on this site). The problem is that some reporter somewhere (coughcough - at a tabloid like The Sun) hears someone say "I wish" and turns it, by magic, into "he will." Then every other press outlet picks up on it without checking any sources and ...it's pretty amazing how it all works. According to Ain't It Cool News it isn't going to happen at all, which is not so surprising, so don't get hyped about McKellen donning another benevolent and powerful wizard's robes any time soon. (And honestly - where does one go after Gandalf?)
- We'll find out who it is soon enough. Keep your pointy hats on. :)