The Golden Trio are back! The Harry Potter cast will reunite for a special on HBO Max

It’s official, we’re finally getting our favourite wizards back on screen. After the lull of content from the franchise – besides the ‘Fantastic Beasts’ series, the ‘Cursed Child’ series, and Pottermore, WarnerMedia has recently announced that it will be reuniting the iconic Harry Potter cast for a 20th anniversary retrospective on HBO Max next year. Titled ‘Harry Potter 20th Anniversary: Return to Hogwarts’, the program will stream ahead of the highly-anticipated ‘Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore’ movie. 

“It has been an incredible journey since the debut of the Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone film, and witnessing how it has evolved into this remarkable interconnected universe has been magical to say the least,” says Tom Ascheim, president of Warner Bros. Global Kids, Young Adults and Classics. 

“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.”

For one night only, filmmaker Chris Columbus will be joined by familiar faces and Hogwarts alumni – Daniel Radcliffe, Rupert Grint, Emma Watson, Tom Felton, Helena Bonham Carter, Robbie Coltrane, Ralph Fiennes, Jason Isaacs, Gary Oldman, Imelda Staunton, James Phelps, Oliver Phelps, Mark Williams, Bonnie Wright, Alfred Enoch, Matthew Lewis, Evanna Lynch, and Ian Hart to commemorate the success of the series after all these years. Though, we have to point out the elephant in the room – the absence of Harry Potter creator J.K. Rowling from the list of attendees. And for good reason too. 

After the franchise concluded with ‘Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2’ in 2011, Rowling has been known to take to Twitter to make controversial statements about the transgender community. Now nicknamed as an honourary “TERF” – otherwise known as a trans-exclusionary radical feminist who believes that transgender people should be defined by their biological sex, Potter fans have “unclaimed” and boycotted the creator for her problematic views. 

Rowling’s statements have also made it difficult for stars like Emma Watson and Daniel Radcliffe, in particular, as they are both known for being vocal about the liberal movement that very clearly clash with that of Rowling’s ideas. 

In a statement addressing one of Rowling’s tweets on gender identity, Radcliffe had this to say: “While Jo is unquestionably responsible for the course my life has taken, as someone who has been honoured to work with and continues to contribute to The Trevor Project for the last decade, and just as a human being, I feel compelled to say something at this moment. Transgender women are women.”

“To all the people who now feel that their experience of the books has been tarnished or diminished, I am deeply sorry for the pain these comments have caused you,” he continues. “I really hope that you don’t entirely lose what was valuable in these stories to you. If these books taught you that love is the strongest force in the universe, capable of overcoming anything; if they taught you that strength is found in diversity, and that dogmatic ideas of pureness lead to the oppression of vulnerable groups; if you believe that a particular character is trans, nonbinary, or gender fluid, or that they are gay or bisexual; if you found anything in these stories that resonated with you and helped you at any time in your life — then that is between you and the book that you read, and it is sacred. And in my opinion, nobody can touch that. It means to you what it means to you and I hope that these comments will not taint that too much.”

Although the strained relationship between Rowling and its cast will always stay looming over the franchise, fans are not letting this take away from their excitement of the long-awaited reunion. Many have since distanced the idea of Rowling from the series and will continue to do so. And to respect this new normal for the Harry Potter universe, WarnerMedia will only be featuring archival footage of Rowling in the 20th-anniversary special.

As for now, nothing else has been confirmed for the special besides the presence of the cast. But we do hope that there will be an in memoriam segment to commemorate the cast who have since passed – more notably Alan Rickman and Helen McCrory who played Severus Snape and Narcissa Malfoy respectively.