Hogwarts will always be there to welcome you home.
In honor of the 20th anniversary of Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone, the franchise’s main trio will reunite with Sorcerer’s Stone director Chris Columbus and other franchise alums for Harry Potter: Return to Hogwarts, a retrospective special on HBO Max.
After releasing a short teaser with clips from the eight films in November, HBO dropped a full trailer of the reunion special Monday, featuring new interviews with the stars who reflect on their time in the Wizarding World.
“Think of that powerful memory. Make it the happiest one you can remember,” Daniel Radcliffe says in voiceover to open the trailer, reminiscent of the time he was teaching Dumbledore’s Army how to conjure a Patronus as shots of Watson play while she walks through Platform 9 3/4.
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“It feels like no time has passed and loads of time has passed,” Watson says as she reunites with Tom Felton and the rest of the cast.
“This is the perfect time to sit down with everyone and reminisce,” Rupert Grint shares.
“The thing that scared me the most was the implication that the most meaningful thing in our life was done, and there’s something so joyous about seeing everyone, and being like, ‘It wasn’t, though,'” Radcliffe says.
The trailer also features clips from interviews with Helena Bonham Carter (Bellatrix Lestrange) about the highlights of her part and Ralph Fiennes sharing that his sister told him he had to take on the role of Voldemort.
“When things get really dark, and times get really hard, there’s something about Harry Potter that makes life richer,” Watson says.
“We’re family, and we’ll always be part of each other’s lives,” Grint chimes in.
Robbie Coltrane, Jason Isaacs, Gary Oldman, Imelda Staunton, Felton, James Phelps, Oliver Phelps, Mark Williams, Bonnie Wright, Alfred Enoch, Matthew Lewis, Evanna Lynch, Ian Hart and other franchise alums will join the trio in the retrospective.
One notable absence from Return to Hogwarts is author J.K. Rowling, who sparked backlash from the trans community after saying transgender individuals should be defined by their biological sex. Though she will not participate in the special, sources close to the project previously noted to The Hollywood Reporter that she will be featured in archival footage. Despite the absence, WarnerMedia and Rowling’s publicity team said in a joint statement Dec. 15 that their relationship “continues today and is more collaborative than ever.”
The retrospective marks the second official TV offshoot of Rowling’s beloved franchise, with the first being Hogwarts Tournament of Houses, a four-part game show that tested the knowledge of new and old fans of the franchise.
Harry Potter: Return to Hogwarts hits HBO Max on Jan. 1.
