It would appear HBO Max is aiming to be the go-to place for all things nostalgia. Between the Friends cast reunion earlier this year and the upcoming Harry Potter get-together, the specialty channel is bringing us all the feels.
This week, the official trailer dropped for Harry Potter 20th Anniversary: Return to Hogwarts, which will stream on Jan. 1 — no doubt a small silver lining for hardcore fans in the midst of another stressful holiday season.
The actors reunited at the Warner Bros. Studio Tour London to reminisce about the eight-film series, which kicked off with Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone in November 2001. Apart from Daniel Radcliffe, Emma Watson and Rupert Grint, fans can expect interviews with other stars including Gary Oldman, Ralph Fiennes, Helena Bonham Carter, Robbie Coltrane, Jason Isaacs and Tom Felton.
As Watson observes in the trailer, “It feels like no time has passed — and loads of time has passed.”
Although it wasn’t mentioned in the trailer, fans can most likely expect to shed a few tears over fond memories shared between the cast of the late, great (fan favourite) Alan Rickman, who died in 2016.
One person you won’t hear much about, though? The author of the beloved book series, J.K. Rowling. Due to her anti-trans comments and Twitter rants over the last two years, Rowling wasn’t asked to partake in the reunion and will instead only be featured in brief snippets from archival footage about the movies. Rowling’s views have been blasted by most members of the cast, especially the core three — Radcliffe, Watson and Grint.
“I firmly stand with the trans community and echo the sentiments expressed by many of my peers. Trans women are women,” Grint said in a statement in March 2021 to the Sunday Times. “Trans men are men. We should all be entitled to live with love and without judgment.” Radcliffe and Watson have made similar statements.
Regardless of the tricky Rowling situation, fans will be able to kick back with a mug of Butterbeer and relive all of their fondest childhood memories — and, really, is there a better way to kick off 2022?
As Grint says in the trailer, “We’re family. We’ll always be part of each other’s lives.”
No doubt fans feel like they’re part of that extended family, too.
