When HBO Max announced a forthcoming special titled ‘Harry Potter 20th Anniversary: Return to Hogwarts’ in November, Potterheads were ecstatic. The makers have now shared a still of the film series’ star actors Daniel Radcliffe, Rupert Grint and Emma Watson having a conversation in the Gryffindor common room and captioned it “Like they never left”.
A Twitter account of a literary magazine The Rowling Library reshared the same picture, which shows Radcliffe and Watson smiling at Grint, with the caption saying: “The Golden Trio. 20 years later.”
A user commented, “Literally going to cry the whole time of happiness”, to which the makers replied, “Some of us are already crying.”
This special event, which premieres on New Years’ Day will mark 20 years since the release of Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone, and bring back many Harry Potter characters on screen. The cast will delve into the films with filmmaker Chris Columbus and discuss things that went on behind the scenes.
The November 17 announcement was made on HBO Max’s social media handles. The 62-second video was accompanied by a line that said: “Inviting fans on a magical first-person journey through one of the most beloved film franchises of all the time.”
Apart from the trio, other big names from the eight movies who will make an appearance are Helena Bonham Carter, Robbie Coltrane, Ralph Fiennes, Jason Isaacs, Gary Oldman, Imelda Staunton, Tom Felton, James Phelps, Oliver Phelps, Mark Williams, Bonnie Wright, Alfred Enoch, Matthew Lewis, Evanna Lynch and Ian Hart.
Confirming their participation, Felton, who played Draco Malfoy, tweeted: “Is this what school homecoming is like? Mark your calendars for New Year’s Day.” Matt Lewis, who essayed the role of the unlucky Neville Longbottom in the series, wrote “This New Year’s Day… we’re putting the band back together.”
The Harry Potter series of films, based on J.K. Rowling’s famous novels marked its end in 2011 with the release of the last of the eight films.