HBO Max's Harry Potter 20th anniversary special won't feature the franchise's creator, J.K Rowling.
The newly announced Harry Potter reunion, titled Harry Potter 20th Anniversary: Return to Hogwarts, will see many of the franchise's stars reunite, but Rowling was noticeably absent from the cast list. The show -- which premieres on HBO Max on Jan. 1, 2022 -- will celebrate 20 years since the original movie, Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone. In addition to director Chris Columbus, stars Daniel Radcliffe, Emma Watson and Rupert Grint will appear.
While the reason for Rowling's absence is unclear, it's worth noting she's received plenty of backlash for comments about the trans community in recent years. Even Harry Potter stars such as Radcliffe, Watson, Grint and Bonnie Wright made it clear that they stood with the trans community and not with Rowling.
Rowling wrote all of the books in the Harry Potter franchise, with the original book Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone releasing in 1997. In 1999, Rowling sold the film rights of the first four books to Warner Bros. and the first film was released in 2001. The movie followed Harry Potter's discovery of being a wizard and his arrival at Hogwarts, where he met new friends and learned more about his parents' untimely death. The franchise spanned eight films over the course of 10 years.
Alongside the main trio of Radcliffe, Watson and Grint, other Harry Potter actors who are set to star in the reunion include Helena Bonham Carter, Robbie Coltrane, Ralph Fiennes, Jason Isaacs, Gary Oldman, Imelda Staunton, Tom Felton, Mark Williams, Evanna Lynch, Bonnie Wright, Alfred Enoch, Matthew Lewis, Ian Hart, James Phelps and Oliver Phelps.
Though the core Harry Potter film series has ended, the franchise continues in the form of the Fantastic Beasts movies. This spinoff film series follows Newt Scamander's attempt to contain the magical creatures that he has collected across the wizarding world. Notably, Fantastic Beasts star Eddie Redmayne publicly disagreed with Rowling's trans comments but defended her from social media vitriol, calling posts targeted at her "absolutely disgusting."
Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore arrives in theaters April 15, 2022.
Source: WarnerMedia