Accio excitement: a dose of wizardry is coming to HBO Max! Harry Potter 20th Anniversary: Return to Hogwarts will premiere in a few short weeks to celebrate the fantasy world of witchcraft we've been joyfully living in for the past two decades.
Series stars Daniel Radcliffe, Emma Watson and Rupert Grint—an iconic trio if ever there was one—will join forces once again to take a look back at how it all began. Now that Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone just turned a whopping 2-0, there's a lot to unpack. In fact, it's almost impossible to think about a life pre-Hogwarts.
"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,” Tom Ascheim, president of Warner Bros. Global Kids, Young Adults and Classics, said in a statement.
Grab yourself a butterbeer, assemble an outdoor movie theater sporting gear from your favorite Hogwarts house (do you agree with Timothée Chalamet's Slytherin pick?) and get ready to dive in! We'll tell you everything wizards and muggles need to know about the special.
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How to watch the HBO Max 'Harry Potter' special
You'll want to kick 2022 off on the right foot, and there's no better way to do so than with Hogwarts' most notable students: Harry, Hermione and Ron. Harry Potter 20th Anniversary: Return to Hogwarts will premiere on HBO Max on New Year’s Day, January 1, 2022. Cue the fireworks!
You can sign up for a subscription below. Monthly fees are $9.99, but you can opt out of commercials for $14.99 per month. Information about the international release is forthcoming, according to HBO Max.
Watch the 'Return to Hogwarts' trailer:
What is 'Return to Hogwarts' about?
Get ready for a time warp: you're going to relive the best parts of J.K. Rowling's magical world.
"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," Ascheim added.
Who will appear in the 'Return to Hogwarts' special?
In addition to our leading trio, viewers can also expect appearances from the following:
- 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
- Chris Columbus
Even better? Helen Mirren will do the hosting honors on Harry Potter: Hogwarts Tournament of Houses, a four-part series set to include Hogwarts alumni who will compete for the Tournament of Houses championship trophy, which will premiere on HBO Max on January 1 alongside the special.
Meet us at Platform 9 3/4: the train to Hogwarts is leaving shortly, and you cannot miss it!
What about J.K. Rowling?
Although this entire world would not exist without author J.K. Rowling's imagination, she won't be joining the film's stars for the HBO Max special in 2022. However, several sources confirmed that the writer will be appearing in archival footage. There isn't a particular reason why she hasn't been included, but fans suspect her absence is a direct result of the author's recent controversies.
In 2019, Rowling tweeted her support for researcher Maya Forstater, who made controversial statements about gender. Rowling then penned an essay on her website to back her claims, which stirred even more turmoil. In response, Radcliffe, Watson and Grint released their own statements and spoke with various publications to show support for the LGBTQ+ community.
A year later, Rowling tweeted about gender identity once again, mocking a line in an article that read "people who menstruate," which caused a severe backlash on the social media platform.
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