Harry Potter Return To Hogwarts Final Trailer: Go Behind The Scenes Of The Magic
It's been 20 years since "Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone" brought the Wizarding World to the big screen for the first time, and what better way to celebrate than with a reunion special? HBO Max will ring in the New Year with "Harry Potter 20th Anniversary: Return to Hogwarts," a streaming special that reunites "Harry Potter" movie stars Daniel Radcliffe, Emma Watson, and Rupert Grint with many of their co-stars from the films, as well as key creatives like "Sorcerer's Stone" and "Chamber of Secrets" director Chris Columbus. (Fear not: we will address who noticeably didn't receive an invitation back to Hogwarts soon enough.)
With "Return to Hogwarts" set to begin streaming on January 1, 2022, HBO Max managed to slip in one last trailer under the wire — on the off-chance anyone who's undecided needed just a little more convincing to watch the special. The promo is composed of clips from longer interviews with the returning "Harry Potter" actors talking about their experience of seeing their former co-workers again, as well as behind-the-scenes footage showing them back together and interacting. Most of the sound bites are the kind of fluff you would expect to show up in a trailer, but it's worth watching if only to hear Helena Bonham Carter candidly describe the "Harry Potter" movie sets as being "leaky."
Return to Hogwarts Final Trailer
All in all, "Return to Hogwarts" has the makings of a perfectly pleasant way to pass the time if you're so inclined. Less pleasant, however, is the storm cloud hanging over its head in the form of Wizarding World creator J.K. Rowling (who will not show up in the special) and the anti-transgender sentiments she's been publicly expressing for much of the past two years.
Radcliffe, Watson, and Grint have all spoken out against Rowling's transphobic statements in some way or another by this point, as have "Harry Potter" actors like Katie Leung and Evanna Lynch (among others), "Harry Potter and the Cursed Child" star Noma Dumezweni, and "Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them" franchise lead Eddie Redmayne. All the same, with Rowling being actively involved in writing the "Fantastic Beasts" movies, Warner Bros. will have to navigate some treacherous waters when it comes time to promote the next entry in the Wizarding World's prequel saga, "The Secrets of Dumbledore," ahead of its arrival in 2022.
As for "Return to Hogwarts:" fans can decide for themselves if they would still like to check it out or if Rowling's behavior is enough to put them off all things related to the Wizarding World (even those she's been no doubt deliberately left out of) when it hits HBO Max on January 1, 2022.