Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban is returning to cinemas on Saturday to mark its 20-year anniversary. The third film in the wizarding franchise, directed by Alfonso Cuarón, marked a distinct shift away from the cutesy warmth of the first two into darker territory. With moody lighting and a really quite frightening werewolf, the film saw the pre-teen gang of Harry Potter, Hermione Granger and Ron Weasley, confronted with a more adult world as they entered their third year of Hogwarts.
The film will return to UK cinemas on May 31 for a limited run, two decades after its 2004 premiere, when it grossed over $804m worldwide. When a maniacal mass-murderer escapes from Azkaban, pursued by the soul-sucking Dementors, his hopes of a quiet year at Hogwarts concentrating on Quidditch are dashed. At 13, in this installment Harry must contend with even more foes than just Voldemort and some worrying developments indeed – like an omen of death and having his happy ever after snatched away from him just as he began imagining it.
With a screenplay by Steve Kloves, the fast-paced adventure film is based on the 1999 novel of the same name, written by JK Rowling. The film stars all the usual Harry Potter suspects including Daniel Radcliffe, Emma Watson, and Rupert Grint as the mischievous Gryffindor trio at the heart of the franchise. The late Robbie Coltrane and Michael Gambon, who starred as Hagrid and Dumbledore throughout the magical series, also appear in this film – both of .
