Warner Bros Removes Gay Reference in Fantastic Beasts Film at China’s Request
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Warner Brothers removed a reference to a gay relationship from the Chinese version of its latest Fantastic Beasts sequel at the Chinese Communist Party’s request, the movie studio confirmed Wednesday.
The six-second clip that was scrubbed from Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore alluded to a homosexual romantic relationship between benevolent wizard Albus Dumbledore (Jude Law) and dark wizard Gellert Grindelwald (Mads Mikkelsen), characters in J.K. Rowling’s Harry Potter cinematic universe.
The dialogue that Warner Bros. purged from the movie for Chinese audiences included two lines referencing the characters’ past love affair: “I was in love with you,” and “the summer Gellert and I fell in love,” according to The Hollywood Reporter.
“As a studio, we’re committed to safeguarding the integrity of every film we release, and that extends to circumstances that necessitate making nuanced cuts in order to respond sensitively to a variety of in-market factors,” a Warner Bros. spokesperson said in a statement. “Our hope is to release our features worldwide as released by their creators but historically we have faced small edits made in local markets. In the case of ‘Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore,’ a six-second cut was requested and Warner Bros. accepted those changes to comply with local requirements but the spirit of the film remains intact.”
“We want audiences everywhere in the world to see and enjoy this film, and it’s important to us that Chinese audiences have the opportunity to experience it as well, even with these minor edits,” the statement adds.
While Rowling shared that Dumbledore was gay in 2009, this plot point was not mentioned in any of the eight original Harry Potter movies and not until the third Fantastic Beasts movie.
The company’s move represents another Hollywood capitulation to Beijing censors, who the studios must heed if they want to preserve access to the extremely lucrative Chinese market. Many Republicans have accused Disney, in Mulan and Shang-Chi for instance, of appeasing China with politically palatable cinematic omissions or additions. The companies have also been criticized for turning a blind eye to the government’s record of human rights abuses in Xinjiang, Hong Kong, Tibet, etc.
At the annual meeting in March, a Disney shareholder slammed the brand for its hypocrisy in advocating for domestic social justice, most recently lobbying against Florida’s Parental Rights in Education legislation, while continuing to do business with the oppressive Chinese Communist Party and its affiliates. The Florida law, assigned the misleading title “Don’t Say Gay” by progressives, prohibits the teaching of sexual orientation and gender identity to elementary schoolers. It sparked vocal backlash from some loud Disney employees, who successfully pressured CEO Bob Chapek to declare his solidarity with the LGBT community and suspend Florida political donations over the measure.
