The internet has been buzzing ever since HBO Max announced that the cast of Harry Potter would be reuniting for the upcoming 20th anniversary special, which will air on January 1. And yes, returning cast members include the main trio: Daniel Radcliffe (Harry Potter), Emma Watson, and Rupert Grint (Ron Weasley), who will be together talking Harry Potter for the first time in over a decade.
Watson, who played the sassy genius Hermione Granger in all eight films, shared an emotional tribute on Instagram after the announcement, and it had Potterheads in their feels.
*Cue the tears*
I find it extremely special that Watson in particular shared her thoughts because she’s not really in the public eye. She’s busy doing her own thing, being an activist, and standing up for all kinds of causes, so to read her talk about Harry Potter was amazing and heartwarming.
Watson got very sentimental in her post as she looked back at the decade she spent on the set. “Harry Potter was my home, my family, my world, and Hermione (still is) my favorite fictional character of all time,” she writes. “I think a journalist once said it was irritating how many times during an interview I mentioned how lucky I was and started counting… BUT I DAMN WELL KNEW!!! And still know.”
"I am proud not just of what we as a group contributed as actors to the franchise but also as the children that became young adults that walked that path. I look at my fellow cast members now and I am just so proud of who everyone has become as people. I am proud we were kind to each other that we supported one another and that we held up something meaningful."
We’re not crying, you’re crying!
The Harry Potter movies celebrate 20 years of magic
Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone came out exactly 20 years ago, premiering in November 2001. It’s hard to believe two decades have passed, and one decade since the final movie came out in 2011.
I’m not sure where the time has gone, but the cast of Harry Potter has gone on to do some amazing things. Emma Watson is all about activism, Rupert Grint has starred in a handful of things including Servant on Apple+, and Radcliffe has featured in various movies, plays, and television shows. Oh, and let’s not forget Tom Felton (Draco Malfoy), who has starred in The CW’s The Flash in the years since leaving behind the role of the infamous Draco Malfoy.
It’s going to be a great reunion special, the latest of many HBO Max has been giving us, including ones around Friends and Fresh Prince of Bel-Air. The official teaser for Harry Potter 20th Anniversary: Return to Hogwarts gives me goosebumps every time I watch it, and I simply cannot wait for New Year’s Day. It’s going to be every Potterhead’s dream come true, and something we’ve been waiting a very long time to see. A cast reunion?! With the main trio!? YES, PLEASE!
J.K. Rowling will not return for the Harry Potter reunion special
You may notice that there is one particular individual notably missing from the trailer above, and that would be the author of Harry Potter herself, J.K. Rowling. It’s likely she is not a part of the special outside of archival footage given her controversial stance on trans people, which she’s written about at length. We have not heard from her since the announcement, and I won’t be surprised if it stays that way.
Be sure to tune in on New Year’s Day to watch HBO Max’s Harry Potter 20th Anniversary: Return to Hogwarts.
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