The Friends reunion special blew the minds of nineties kids everywhere, but the party’s just getting started. The Harry Potter movies are celebrating their twentieth anniversary with an upcoming reunion spectacular that will feature the cast members fans know and love - including everyone’s favorite Slytherin Draco Malfoy, a.k.a Tom Felton.
Streaming service HBO Max has just announced an exclusive Harry Potter special that will transport viewers back to Hogwarts (cue the opening number from A Very Potter Musical). The reunion will coincide with the twentieth anniversary of the release of the first film, Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone. Naturally, the former denizens of the Wizarding World took to social media to celebrate. Tom Felton was among the first to react. Check out his message below:
is this what school homecoming is like? mark your calendars for New Years Day #ReturnToHogwarts , streaming on @hbomax x pic.twitter.com/FQ38VB1fBbNovember 16, 2021
Jason Isaacs, who dazzled audiences with Lucius Malfoy’s platinum blonde blowout, wasted no time in replying to his on-screen son’s announcement. His tweet read:
Don't you dare start the party without me.
Original Golden Trio member Emma Watson, whose portrayal of Hermione Granger made reading cool again, popped over to Instagram for a quick shout out. She doesn’t often subscribe to social media posting, making her announcement even more special. Her post reads:
I am proud not just of what we as a group contributed as actors to the franchise but also as the children that became young adults that walked that path. I look at my fellow cast members now and I am just so proud of who everyone has become as people...Thank you to the fans that have continued to show their support well after the last chapter closed. The magic of the world wouldn’t exist without you. Thank you for fighting to make it such an inclusive and loving place...Happy 20th Anniversary Potterheads!
Afshan Azad, who joined the cast in 2005 as Padma Patil in Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, also shared her gratitude for the film series that kicked off her acting and modeling career:
When the Philosophers Stone film came out I was sucked into the magical world like every other kid. Little did I know years later I’d audition for a role that would change my entire life upside down. I owe everything to @jk_rowling, the casting agents and the Potter films. #20 pic.twitter.com/apuEjsxp7ONovember 16, 2021
Another Hogwarts alumni to jump on the bandwagon was Matthew Lewis, who played Neville Longbottom and provided many of the franchise’s most iconic moments - everyone in the theater cheered when he used the sword of Godric Gryffindor to dispatch Nagini. He hinted at the reunion, saying:
This New Year’s Day… we’re putting the band back together.
Harry Potter: Return to Hogwarts will feature all of the main cast members from the original series. In addition to Tom Felton, Jason Isaacs, and Matthew Lewis, the special will feature Daniel Radcliffe, Rupert Grint, Emma Watson, Alfred Enoch, James and Oliver Phelps, Bonnie Wright, Evanna Lynch, Ralph Fiennes, Robbie Coltrane, Helena Bonham Carter, and Chris Columbus (who directed the first few films in the series). More guests are to be announced in the weeks preceding the release.
Harry Potter: Return to Hogwarts will premiere on HBO Max on January 1, 2022. The streaming service now boasts the entire magical saga, so fans have plenty of time to brush up on their spellwork before New Year’s Day.
