I don’t know - I think I’d opt for Adrian Brody as Dumbledore.
He’s American. One of Rowling’s major demands when it came time to casting the HP films was that the cast be almost exclusively British. No way she’d let WB pick a Yank to be Dumbledore.
Okay, no Adrian Brody - how about Matthew MacFadyen?
eh–was Dumbledore distant and unlikable as a young man? That’s all I’ve ever seen Cumberbatch play.
Based on “Deathly Hallows,” Dumbledore had quite an edge to him in his youth. And Cumberbatch already sounds exactly like a young Michael Gambon.
Fantastic Beasts & Where to Find Them is already a book, albeit a very slim one. Lots of stories could be mined from its pages, though! Im looking forward to this new series. Newt Scamander’s life looks very interesting!
Well, not in such poorly written “squicky bondage porn”, at any rate. 
As a plus, “Benedict Cumberbatch” sounds like a name that a Harry Potter character would have.
I hope there’s cameo spots for the actors from the first movies.
But Fantastic Beasts sounds like a lot of Fantastic Licensed Merchandise, and it’s all CGI so there’s no pesky royalty payments to actors.
Know what else would have a great comedic and adventure potential?
Break with a Banshee by Gilderoy Lockhart
Gadding with Ghouls by Gilderoy Lockhart
Holidays with Hags by Gilderoy Lockhart
Travels with Trolls by Gilderoy Lockhart
Voyages with Vampires by Gilderoy Lockhart
Wandering with Werewolves by Gilderoy Lockhart
Year with the Yeti by Gilderoy Lockhart
^Those.^
My first thought was maybe Hagrid could appear in it, but since he was a student (albeit a 3rd year) when Riddle was Head Boy, I assume he wasn’t even a glimmer in his father’s eye when the story took place. I guess if there are any goblins in the new film, any actor who played a goblin in the HP films could be cast for a role in the new one. How many little people actors are available in the UK?
Although Rowling may not have gotten credits as a screenwriter for the HP franchise, I’m pretty sure she had a lot of input to the producers, directors, and screenplay writers. And she probably learned a lot about how to write a screenplay also.
One of the theories I’ve heard floated is that Harry, Ron, and Hermione’s kids are having a study session (using Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them) and the three adults come in to help them and then that propels the start of the movie’s story.
Aside from possibly weird old age makeup, it could work.
When it compromises artistic quality to that end.
Is there a standard of artistry in the existing Potter canon that could be threatened by a new edition’s poor rendering? Opinions may differ.
Considering that Radcliffe, Grint and Watson are apparently working hard on establishing non-Potter acting careers, I’d expect and hope they decline such roles. They certainly don’t need the money.
They don’t need the money, but they don’t have the hate for the fantasy franchise that started their career like some of the Star Wars/Star Trek folks do.
I’m not saying they hate it. I’m saying that even an HP cameo wouldn’t be good for their non-HP careers at this point.
Why not? All three (OK, Emma Watson and Daniel Radcliffe) have broken out into plenty of acclaimed non-Potter roles. Going back for a three-second cameo shows respect to the fans for your start. I can’t imagine it would ever hurt their careers.
Sounds like someone has a Branagh fixation 
The story is not only set 70 years in the past, but also in New York. Save for Dumbledore, who might actually be there, I’m not sure there’s anyone else who would have more knowledge than the book about the situation.
At least, that’s what I understand this to be–the book itself is rather dry, so this is about how it came to be written.