To comply with Chinese censors, Warner Bros. says it has “complied” with their latest theatrical release, “Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore,” which was edited to remove references to a lesbian relationship.
Six seconds were shaved off the Chinese version of the film, according to news.Com.Au, including two lines of dialogue that alluded to an earlier love involvement between Jude Law and Mads Mikkelsen’s Albus Dumbledore and Gellert Grindelwald.
“Because I was in love with you” and “the summer Gellert and I fell in love” were the two lines in question.
The third film in the “Fantastic Beasts” series, “The Secrets of Dumbledore,” is a prequel to the popular “Harry Potter” franchise, which is based on J. K. Rowling’s book series.
On April 8th, the film was released in China, starring Eddie Redmayne, Katherine Waterston, Ezra Miller, Alison Sudol, Dan Fogler, Callum Turner, and Jessica Williams.
Warner Bros. claims that the movie’s “spirit” has been preserved despite the changes.
For us, as a studio, maintaining the integrity of every picture that we release extends to situations in which we must make subtle changes in order to respond sensitively to a range of market conditions.
If possible, we want to deliver our features the way they were originally created, however in the past we have encountered minor adjustments in local marketplaces.” “The spirit of the picture remains intact,” Warner Bros. claimed in an email to the online portal about the six-second edit to Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore, which was requested to meet local restrictions.
According to the studio, they want the picture to be enjoyed by all viewers, especially those in China.
As Warner Bros. said in a statement, “We want audiences everywhere to watch this picture and appreciate it, and it’s vital to us that Chinese fans get the opportunity to experience it as well,”
Hogwarts headmaster Dumbledore is gay and had an affair with Grindelwald when they were young, according to JK Rowling in 2007.
After the publishing of the seventh and final “Harry Potter” novel, “The Deathly Hallows,” the author made the comments.. In the Harry Potter books, Dumbledore was never outed as gay.
It was in “The Secrets of Dumbledore” when the character’s sexuality was first openly revealed.
A previous Freddie Mercury movie, “Bohemian Rhapsody,” had all references to the singer’s sexuality removed by Chinese censors.
“special group” was substituted for “gay guy” in the Chinese translation of Rami Malek’s Oscar acceptance speech as best actor for his role as Mercury.
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