Harry Potter actors are coming back one more time, unfortunately, not for another film. HBO Max will air the ‘Harry Potter Reunion’ special on January 1, 2022. But it has scared the makers of ‘Friends’, who released the series’ reunion episode back in May 2021.
It’s been 20 years since the first Harry Potter film ‘Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone’ was released and left a solid mark on world cinema. The film, which was adapted from J.K. Rowling’s hugely successful fantasy book, based inside the magical world of Hogwarts’, was a major commercial and critical hit. The final film in the franchise, titled ‘Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Pt. 2’, was released in 2011 to roaring success, thus culminating the entire franchise with a satisfactory conclusion. However, with the recent streak of HBO specials of reunions, Harry Potter is the latest name. The special episode will premier on January 1, 2022, on HBO Max. But it has bothered the makers of the iconic sitcom ‘Friends’.
Highlights —
- ‘Friends’ reunion movie
- Harry Potter new series
The ‘Friends’ reunion episode was aired on the same platform in May 2021. While it too was highly anticipated by the fans, it was not received as well as expected. The response to the ‘Friends’ reunion episode was quite underwhelming with a mere 67% rating on Rotten Tomatoes. For the hardcore fans of the sitcom, the ratings didn’t matter as much but, in general, it was a blow to the makers of the series. With the hype surrounding the ‘Harry Potter’ reunion, it seems like it will come out in the open that the Harry Potter franchise is way more popular and has a bigger dedicated fan base than ‘Friends’.
‘Friends’ reunion movie
In the reunion episode, the leading trio of Rupert Grint, Emma Watson, and Daniel Radcliffe will make their appearances, along with some supporting cast-members such as Chris Columbus. Other cast members that will appear in the special are Helena Carter, Tom Felton, Mark Williams, Matthew Lewis and Ralph Fiennes among many others. There can also be a special segment on the special that will pay tribute to the great late actor Alan Rickman, who played Severus Snape on the series. Snape’s character became one of the greatest anti-heroes in cinema history.
Harry Potter new series
The film franchise ‘Harry Potter’ is set in the fictional land of Hogwarts, a magic school. With every year at school, Harry Potter and his friends Ron and Hermoine go through all the good and bad stuff. Their friendship is tested on many occasions but they stick together until the very end and manage to defeat the great evil magician Voldermort. The film franchise has been among the most successful film franchises of all time anywhere in the world. Daniel Radcliffe, who plays Harry, and Emma Watson, who played Hermoine, in the film series went on to have hugely successful careers in acting. Many other cast members, such as Tom Felton, also went on to create their own niche in western cinema.
HBO Max has also released several other reunion specials for series’ such as ‘The Fresh Prince of Bel Air’ and ‘Friends’. These reunion episodes take the fans on a nostalgic trip where they see their favourite actors interacting with each other. It’s a nostalgic yet surreal experience. Harry Potter being one of the most revered and loved film franchises, the fans have been keenly awaiting the release. The wait officially ends on January 1, 2022.
Although the reunion episodes can’t quite deliver the same feeling as the original film or the series’, they can come quite close to recreating the same feeling. Let’s see if the response to the special episode is as good as expected.
Tell us in the comments which series’ or film reunion you are willing to watch. Also, tell us your favourite character from all eight Harry Potter films.
