Jude Law loved playing a young Dumbledore in two ‘Fantastic Beasts’ films, but he told Variety as part of a new cover story that his time as the iconic “Harry Potter” wizard is most likely over now that Warner Bros. turns his attention to a television series based on JK Rowling’s seven original novels.

“I know it’s definitely on hold,” Law said of the future of the “Fantastic Beasts” franchise. “I suspect now that they’re doing ‘Harry Potter’ as a TV show, they’ll probably put their energy into that. I certainly haven’t heard that there’s anything on the horizon.”

The ‘Fantastic Beasts’ franchise launched in 2016 with ‘Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them’. The film, with a script co-written by Rowling herself, grossed a whopping $814 million at the box office worldwide, but that magic quickly died out when the sequels “The Crimes of Grindelwald” (2018) and “The Secrets of Dumbledore” (2022) received mixed reviews and sputtered at the box office with $654 million and $407 million, respectively.

The franchise, which Rowling said would include a total of five films, focused on British wizard and “magizoologist” Newt Scamander, played by Oscar winner Eddie Redmayne. Newt finds himself in the middle of an escalating war waged by the evil wizard Grindelwald. Law played the role of Dumbledore in the last two films.

In a recent interview with ComicBook.com, Redmayne also expressed doubts about continuing the “Fantastic Beasts” franchise and achieving Rowling’s original goal of five films.

“I think they probably did (seen the last of Newt),” Redmayne said. “That was a very candid answer, but yes. And that’s as far as I know. I mean, you could talk to the people at Warner Bros. and JK Rowling need to talk, but as far as I know that’s all.”

Speak with Variety For his cover story, Law recalled his first meetings with Rowling about taking on the role of a younger Dumbledore. They first met in 2017 and Rowling opened up to the actor about the character’s entire arc in the “Fantastic Beasts” franchise.

“I had a pretty clear idea of ​​where it was going to go,” Law said, recalling that Rowling had given him many notes, including one in which Dumbledore saw himself as a monster. “And that’s why he loved Newt, because Newt took care of monsters.”

In the films, Dumbledore struggles with his identity as a gay man who falls in love with Grindelwald. “Because of Dumbledore’s past,” Law noted, describing a battle with Grindelwald that led to his sister’s death, “I think he always felt guilty about being tricked into being in love. It followed him. He found himself unlovable because he trusted his heart.”

Law added that he had found “a nice place” for himself as an actor by taking on the role of Dumbledore and getting a sense of his “extraordinary powers.”

“I loved his heart, and that’s why I enjoyed playing with him. I always enjoyed being in his shoes,” concludes Law.

Read Law’s full article Variety cover story here.