Dumbledore will appear in Fantastic Beasts 2, but who should play the future head of Hogwarts?

As the Fantastic Beasts franchise continues to expand on J.K. Rowling’s Wizarding World, it has long been rumoured that a few friendly faces may return to assist Newt Scamander (Eddie Redmayne). And, just like magic, director David Yates has confirmed that Albus Dumbledore will appear in Fantastic Beasts 2.

Screen Rant reports on Yates’s comments in a roundtable discussion, “In the second movie Dumbledore comes back. He’s got a couple of good scenes with Newt… We’re discussing who would play Dumbledore, any suggestions would be good.” Suggestions, you say? Well, here are five actors who could don the wand and perform Wingardium Leviosa on our hearts.

Benedict Cumberbatch

Well, he is in everything these days, so why not add another famous role to his resume? Cumberbatch has the right amount of emotional distance to portray the future head of Hogwarts. His recent turn in Doctor Strange has proven he is really good at waving his hands and saying magic mumbo-jumbo and, at the end of the day, that’s all you need to be a powerful wizard.

Hugh Dancy

The Hannibal alumni hasn’t really been seen since the show’s untimely cancellation. What better way to return to the limelight than opposite Eddie Redmayne? As well as being annoyingly handsome, Dancy’s strange on/off relationship with Hannibal would be good experience for playing Dumbledore - who pines after wizarding bad boy Gallert Grindelwald (rumoured to be played by Johnny Depp).

Damian Lewis

After playing everyone’s favourite soldier-turned double agent in Homeland and King Henry 8th in Wolf Hall, maybe it’s time for Damian Lewis to return to the lighter side of things? Dumbledore was described in the books as having auburn hair and, hey, Damian Lewis’ hair is kinda auburn. That’s a win in my books. Oh, yeah, and this guy can really act.

Michael Sheen

For the unaware, Welsh actor Michael Sheen has made a career out of stepping into the boots of famous figures. While we’re not expecting a 90-minute long Michael Gambon impersonation, Sheen would get Dumbledore’s idiosyncrasies and speech patterns down to a tee. The Masters of Sex star is now more familiar to American audiences too. Now would be a good time to launch him into superstardom.

Tom Hiddleston

Ignoring the fact that he’s really bloody good at this acting business, Hiddleston has previous with the Harry Potter universe, having stated on a Nerdist podcast that he would love to appear in a Harry Potter film. So what better role than young Dumbledore? Hiddleston has shown in The Night Manager that he can be cool, calm and collected and, let’s face it, young Dumbledore is probably the coolest guy in the world. We can already picture him in wizard’s robes and a funny hat.

Who do you think should be a play a young Dumbledore? Vote in our poll and add your own suggestions in the comments below!

Directed by David Yates and starring Eddie Redmayne, Katherine Waterstone, Colin Farrell and Ezra Miller, Fantastic Beasts and Where To Find Them hits theaters on November 18.

I'm the Senior Entertainment Writer here at GamesRadar+, focusing on news, features, and interviews with some of the biggest names in film and TV. On-site, you'll find me marveling at Marvel and providing analysis and room temperature takes on the newest films, Star Wars and, of course, anime. Outside of GR, I love getting lost in a good 100-hour JRPG, Warzone, and kicking back on the (virtual) field with Football Manager. My work has also been featured in OPM, FourFourTwo, and Game Revolution.