Daniel Radcliffe Returns To ‘Harry Potter’ In A Surprising Way

Daniel Radcliffe put down his wand after “Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2” came out in 2011, but he is making a surprising return to the Wizarding World. The actor, who played Harry Potter in eight movies over a decade, is reading the first chapter of “Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone” for the internet.

Wizarding World (the official website for all things Potter) announced Tuesday that there will be a star-studded reading of the first book. A video announcement reveals familiar faces from the Potter-verse, such as Eddie Redmayne from “Fantastic Beasts,” Noma Dumezweni from “Harry Potter and the Cursed Child” and Stephen Fry, who is known for voicing the U.K. audiobooks. Other celebs include famous fans like David Beckham and Elle Fanning. Finally, the video reveals Radcliffe.

A visit to the Wizarding World website reveals that the actor, who is now 30, is reading the whole first chapter, which is about 25 minutes long. “Hi, I’m Daniel Radcliffe and this is chapter one of ‘Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone’—or ‘Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone,’ depending on where you live,” he says before diving into the first chapter.

Rowling called Radcliffe and his fellow celeb readers “lovely people” in a tweet Tuesday.

It’s safe to say that Potterheads around the world are excited to see Radcliffe doing something related to Harry Potter. They shared their elated reactions on Twitter.

The readings are part of Harry Potter At Home, a campaign from Wizarding World to help people stay entertained during the COVID-19 pandemic. Additionally, Audible has the first Harry Potter book available to listen to for free in six different languages (English, Spanish, French, Italian, German and Japanese) and to read via OverDrive libraries. The project aims to bring kids activitiy kits, quizzes, crafts and more to keep them enthralled by the Wizarding World while social distancing.