Daniel Radcliffe And Emma Watson Make An Emotional Return To Hogwarts In New Trailer
The trailer for the Harry Potter reunion is here!
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The New Year will bring with it a gathering of old friends. On New Year’s Day the Harry Potter 20th Anniversary: Return to Hogwart’s special will air on HBO Max, bringing stars of the franchise like Daniel Radcliffe, Emma Watson, and Rupert Grint back to the Wizarding World that — in many cases — they grew up in. There’s now a full trailer for what’s bound to be a fun, emotional reunion.
The trailer for the reunion special dropped Monday with actors like Daniel Radcliffe once again making their way through King’s Cross Station to the magical world of Hogwart’s. Veterans of the film series you get to see in the trailer include Gary Oldman who played Harry Potter’s uncle Sirius Black, Draco Malfoy actor Tom Felton, Neville Longbottom actor Matthew Lewis, and Bonnie Wright, who played Harry Potter’s future wife Ginny Weasley. We get quick snippets of Helena Bonham Carter talking about her favorite part of playing the demented Bellatrix Lestrange, and Ralph Fiennes relating how he was convinced to play Voldemort. You can watch the trailer below.
While most of the franchise’s lead actors are confirmed to appear, there are some big names that don’t appear to be joining Daniel Radcliffe and co. Maggie Smith — who played the Gryffindor House head Professor McGonagall — apparently will not appear in the reunion. Warwick Davis, who played a number of characters in the films, hasn’t been confirmed for the special, either. It’s possible he’s too busy working on the upcoming Disney+ Willow sequel series. Also missing is Michael Gambon, who took over the role of Albus Dumbledore after the passing of Richard Harris. Unfortunately, Gambon’s absence is probably not very mysterious. As reported by the Express, Gambon has recently expressed concerns over severe memory loss and fears he may be diagnosed with Alzheimer’s Disease. Whether or not his fears are realized, an event that revolves around reminiscences would no doubt be painful and frustrating for anyone struggling with memory loss.
Nevertheless, the trailer gives us glimpses of what appear to be powerful moments. We see Emma Watson and Rupert Grint holding hands and later embracing. While we don’t get to hear any of it, there also looks to be a touching moment between Daniel Radcliffe and the man who played his hero’s uncle, Gary Oldman. It is, we have to say, somewhat strange to see Tom Felton so happy to see his co-stars, considering how much his character hated most of theirs.
Of course, the woman who started it all — J.K. Rowling — will be nowhere near the reunion special, and that’s probably best for everyone involved. Ever since 2019, the Harry Potter creator has been the least favorite part of the franchise to many fans upset over views she’s expressed considered by many to be transphobic. Nor has that stopped her from expressing her views. Most recently, Twitter reacted to the writer quoting George Orwell’s 1984 to comment on a recent story about police listing trans women suspects as women in cases of sexual assault.
Harry Potter 20th Anniversary: Return to Hogwart’s premieres on HBO Max on Saturday, New Year’s Day. Daniel Radcliffe, Emma Watson, Rupert Grint, and more will reminisce about the making of the first eight films of the Harry Potter franchise. Perhaps 20 or so years from now, the Fantastic Beasts flicks will get their own reunion, at which point we’ll see whether or not Johnny Depp gets an invite.
