Accio Reunion! HBO Max Summons the Cast (But Not You-Know-Who) to Celebrate the 20th Anniversary of ‘Harry Potter’
HBO Max, the home of the tear-jerking reunion shows (see Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, Friends) is firing up the nostalgia machine again, this time to appeal to millennials wishing to celebrate a Harry Potter milestone.
The show, Harry Potter 20th Anniversary: Return to Hogwarts is being billed as a retrospective to celebrate the 20th anniversary of the first Harry Potter film’s release and is slated to hit HBO Max on New Year’s Day, the streaming service said Tuesday.
Director Christopher Columbus, who directed the first two Potter films, Daniel Radcliffe, Emma Watson, Rupert Grint and many more actors from the eight films will gather for a journey back to Hogwarts to discuss the making of Harry Potter and the impact of the franchise, according to HBO Max. It will be the first time they’ve reunited for such a project since the final film premiered in 2011, the streaming service said.
The streamer will also apparate co-stars Helena Bonham Carter, Robbie Coltrane, Ralph Fiennes, Jason Isaacs, Gary Oldman, Imelda Staunton, and Tom Felton (among others) for the reunion, but one key figure will not be present: J.K. Rowling, author of the book series, was not asked to participate in the reunion.
HBO Max has made no comment as to why Rowling was excluded, but she has drawn controversy by making many statements that were deemed transphobic, drawing backlash from not only former fans, but from within the Harry Potter family, with Radcliffe, Watson and Grint all speaking out in support of transgender people.
Tom Ascheim, president of Warner Bros. Global Kids, Young Adults and Classics, said of the reunion, “It has been an incredible journey since the debut of the Harry Potter And The Philosopher’s Stone film, and witnessing how it has evolved into this remarkable interconnected universe has been magical to say the least.”
The statement continued, “this retrospective is a tribute to everyone whose lives were touched by this cultural phenomenon – from the talented cast and crew who poured their heart and soul into this extraordinary film franchise to the passionate fans who continue to keep the Wizarding World spirit alive 20 years later.”
The Harry Potter series includes seven books, which were adapted into eight films, the last of which was 2011’s Harry Potter And The Deathly Hallows Part 2. There has been a two-part stage play, Harry Potter and the Cursed Child, and two spin-off films from the Fantastic Beasts series have been released, with a third set to be released on April 15th of next year.