‘Harry Potter’ Cast Gets Back Together for Reunion Special

In this Nov. 11, 2010 file photo, British actors Daniel Radcliffe, left, Emma Watson, center, and Rupert Grint arrive at a cinema in London's Leicester Square for the World Premiere of "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 1." (AP)
In this Nov. 11, 2010 file photo, British actors Daniel Radcliffe, left, Emma Watson, center, and Rupert Grint arrive at a cinema in London's Leicester Square for the World Premiere of "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 1." (AP)
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‘Harry Potter’ Cast Gets Back Together for Reunion Special

In this Nov. 11, 2010 file photo, British actors Daniel Radcliffe, left, Emma Watson, center, and Rupert Grint arrive at a cinema in London's Leicester Square for the World Premiere of "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 1." (AP)
In this Nov. 11, 2010 file photo, British actors Daniel Radcliffe, left, Emma Watson, center, and Rupert Grint arrive at a cinema in London's Leicester Square for the World Premiere of "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 1." (AP)

Daniel Radcliffe remembers the embarrassing haircuts, Emma Watson found meeting up with her "Harry Potter" cast mates "an unexpected joy," and director Christopher Columbus recalls the sets for the movies as "the greatest playground in the world."

Many of the cast of the "Harry Potter" film franchise reunited for a 20th anniversary TV special, called "Return to Hogwarts," to be broadcast on Jan. 1 on HBO Max.

Radcliffe, 32, was just 11 years old when he was cast as the orphaned boy with magic powers. He said in the reunion on the set in Leavesden, outside London, that he would always be happy to talk about the film.

"Every part of my life is connected to Potter and to Leavesden. My first kiss is connected to someone here, my first girlfriends were here. ... It all spirals out from the Potter set somewhere," he said, according to advance excerpts released on Monday.

Radcliffe recalls how he and Rupert Grint (Ron Weasley) hated being told to grow their hair out for a shaggier look in later films in the series.

"We're like, 'No, no, no, no, no. You're not leaving us like this? We're supposed to be becoming teenagers and dating girls in this film! That's not what it's going to be, is it?' So, I think we were pretty devastated as we realized that it was," he said.

Radcliffe, Grint, Watson (Hermione) and Columbus are joined by actors Robbie Coltrane (Hagrid), Jason Isaacs (Lucius Malfoy), Gary Oldman (Sirius Black), Helena Bonham Carter (Bellatrix Lestrange) and other cast members for the reunion.

Watson said she was been overwhelmed with emotion at the reunion after so many years.

"Some of us haven't seen each other for years. So it's just been a joy. An unexpected joy," she said.

Oldman said getting back together was a "weird experience because you met them as kid, and now some of them are married and they've got kids of their own."

"Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone" ("Philosopher's Stone" in the UK) was released in November 2001. The eight film franchise based on J.K. Rowling's stories took in some $7.8 billion at the global box office.



New 'Superman' Muscles to $122 Million at US, Canada Box Office

New 'Superman' Muscles to $122 Million at US, Canada Box Office
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New 'Superman' Muscles to $122 Million at US, Canada Box Office

New 'Superman' Muscles to $122 Million at US, Canada Box Office

A new "Superman" movie from Warner Bros hauled in $122 million at box offices in the United States and Canada over the weekend, a strong debut that kicked off a new era for DC comic book heroes on the big screen.

The movie that introduces David Corenswet as the Man of Steel added $95 million in international markets for a global total of $217 million through Sunday, Warner Bros said on Sunday.

"Superman" is a reboot of the movie franchise based on the hero who debuted in comic books in 1938. The film's performance is critical to the future of Warner Bros and its DC Studios division.

Despite a stable of iconic characters including Batman and Wonder Woman, DC has not been able to match the blockbuster box office power of Walt Disney's Marvel superhero films.

The new "Superman" was written and directed by James Gunn, the filmmaker known for three offbeat "Guardians of the Galaxy" movies for Marvel. Gunn was tapped as co-CEO of DC Studios in 2022, alongside producer Peter Safran, and billed as the hero who could bring consistent success to its film and TV projects.