Cast reunions are all the rage nowadays, be it last year for The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, this year for Friends or anytime in between virtually for COVID.
Now, Warner Bros. is back with perhaps its biggest reunion special yet — a 20th-anniversary celebration of the Harry Potter film franchise.
To commemorate the milestone, the company has brought together the cast and crew of the beloved fantasy series for Harry Potter 20th Anniversary: Return to Hogwarts, including, most notably, Daniel Radcliffe (Harry), Rupert Grint (Ron) and Emma Watson (Hermione).
For Warner Bros., it’s a significant piece of original content to bolster its HBO Max catalogue in the U.S. Thankfully, though, the company’s ongoing partnership with Bell Media means Return to Hogwarts is coming to the latter’s Crave service in Canada on January 1st, 2022. This is the same date as the American HBO Max premiere.
Filmed at Warner Bros. Studios Tour in London, Return to Hogwarts offers a reflection on 20 years since The Philosopher’s Stone with Radcliffe, Grint, Watson, Robbie Coltrane (Hagrid), Tom Felton (Malfoy), Gary Oldman (Sirius), James and Oliver Phelps (Fred and George), Helena Bonham Carter (Bellatrix) and more. The series’ four directors — Chris Columbus (the first two films), Alfonso Cuarón (Prisoner of Azkaban), Mike Newell (The Goblet of Fire) and David Yates (the final four movies) — will also appear.
However, Harry Potter creator J.K. Rowling will only be seen in archival footage. Presumably, Warner Bros. is attempting to distance itself from Rowling amid the ongoing controversy surrounding her transphobic views, which much of the Potter cast has condemned.
Crave costs $9.99 for a mobile-only tier or $19.99 for a ‘Total’ plan that includes all HBO content, including Return to Hogwarts.
It’s worth noting that all eight Harry Potter films hit Crave late last month. Harry Potter: Hogwarts Tournament of Houses, a Helen Mirren-hosted game show, is also now streaming on Crave.
Image credit: Warner Bros.
