Cast of Harry Potter will reunite in special after 20 years — but no mention of J.K. Rowling

Harry Potter stars Daniel Radcliffe, Emma Watson and Rupert Grint are reuniting with other cast members from the blockbuster film franchise for a special 20th anniversary TV retrospective, movie studio Warner Bros. said on Tuesday.

Robbie Coltrane (who played Hagrid) will join Tom Felton, Helena Bonham Carter and Gary Oldman (who portrayed Draco Malfoy, Bellatrix Lestrange and Sirius Black respectively), director Chris Columbus, and other stars of the eight movies, for Harry Potter 20th Anniversary: Return to Hogwarts on the movie set in London where the first film was made.

The release, however, omitted any mention of creator J.K. Rowling as taking part in the production. In recent months, the author has sparked outrage in the transgender community with remarks on how trans people should be defined by their biological sex. 

The Hollywood Reporter reports that sources close to the project say that she will be featured in archival footage, but not make a new appearance in the special. 

The show will be broadcast on Jan. 1 on streaming platform HBO Max. Warner Bros. and HBO are owned by AT&T Inc.

The retrospective will see the cast return to the original Hogwarts boarding school sets that were featured in the first film Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone ("Philosopher's Stone" in the U.K.), released in November 2001.

The film franchise, based on J.K. Rowling's stories about an orphaned boy with magical powers, took in some $7.8 billion US at the global box office.

The special is one of several 20th anniversary events planned by Warner Bros., including a TV quiz contest for Potter fans hosted by Helen Mirren, which will include cameo appearances by some of the cast and celebrity fans including comedians Pete Davidson and Jay Leno.