The cast of "Harry Potter" will come together for a reunion to mark the 20-year anniversary of the film franchise.
Fans can expect to see Daniel Radcliffe, Rupert Grint, Emma Watson, and others take part in "Harry Potter 20th Anniversary: Return to Hogwarts," an HBO Max special that airs on Jan. 1 and celebrates the "unparalleled legacy of the Harry Potter film franchise and its indelible impact on the hearts, minds, and imaginations of families and fans around the world," according to a release to CNN.
Other names set to appear in the special include Helena Bonham Carter, Robbie Coltrane, Ralph Fiennes, Jason Isaacs, Gary Oldman, Imelda Staunton, Tom Felton, James Phelps, Oliver Phelps, Mark Williams, Bonnie Wright, Alfred Enoch, Matthew Lewis, Evanna Lynch, Ian Hart, and filmmaker Chris Columbus.
One name that is notably absent is that of author and franchise creator J.K. Rowling, who was shunned by fans and "Harry Potter" alums alike for comments made about the transgender community.
Last year she posted several controversial tweets that drew widespread backlash and had her labeled as "transphobic." In one of the tweets, she took issue with a headline that used the phrase "people who menstruate," instead of "women." The headline was inclusive of transgender people.
"'People who menstruate.' I’m sure there used to be a word for those people. Someone help me out. Wumben? Wimpund? Woomud?" Rowling tweeted.
She then defended her stance on the transgender community in a lengthy blog post, a link of which she shared to Twitter along with the words "TERF wars." TERF stands for trans-exclusionary radical feminist. Critics have given that title to the author.
In response, Radcliffe wrote a heartfelt blog post for the non-profit The Trevor Project.
"Transgender women are women," he wrote. "Any statement to the contrary erases the identity and dignity of transgender people and goes against all advice given by professional health care associations who have far more expertise on this subject matter than either Jo (Rowling) or I."
Zoe Papadakis ✉
Zoe Papadakis is a Newsmax writer based in South Africa with two decades of experience specializing in media and entertainment. She has been in the news industry as a reporter, writer and editor for newspapers, magazine and websites.
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