Although only one month has passed in 2016, fans have already had to say goodbye to a number of beloved Hollywood icons in such a short period of time. One of the many legends we lost last month wasHarry PotterstarAlan Rickman, whopassed awayat the age of 69 after battling cancer. Over the weekend,Harry Potterfans from around the world gathered at Universal Studios Orlando, where a new video was taken, courtesy ofInside the Magic, to pay tribute to the late actor by raising their wands.
This homage toAlan Rickmantook place at A Celebration ofHarry Potter2016, an annual event that has taken place ever since thetheme parkopened at theWizarding World of Harry Pottersection back in 2010. Since this was the first public event that took place after the late actor’s death, it’s not surprising that fans turned out in droves to say goodbye to the actor, who played Severus Snape in all eightHarry Pottermovies. While they weren’t seen in this video, other franchise stars such asRupert GrintandMatthew Lewiswere present for the Expo portion of the weekend’s festivities.
After a number of minor roles in BritishTV shows,Alan Rickmanmade his feature film debut in the 1988 action classicDie Hard, portraying the iconic villain Hans Gruber. He went on to star as Sheriff of Nottingham inRobin Hood: Prince of Thieves, along with roles in Bob Roberts, Sense and Sensibility andDogmabefore he took on the role of Severus Snape inHarry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone. He reprised that role in all of the followingHarry Pottermovies, which earned $2.39 billion domestically throughout its theatrical run.
TheHarry Potterfranchise will continue this year with the prequelFantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them, which follows the adventures of magizoologist Newt Scamander (Eddie Redmayne). Since this story takes place 70 years before Harry and his friends ever set foot in Hogwarts, we won’t be seeing these young magicians in the movie, and it seems unlikely that we’ll get to see a younger version of Snape or any of the other magical professors as well, since the story is set in New York and not London. Still, there will likely be a few connections to this wizarding world in the prequel, but we’ll have to wait and see.
Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Themis set to hit theaters on November 18, and will be the first of a new trilogy. It isn’t known if this trilogy will eventually connect to the firstHarry Pottermovie, but if that is the case, then perhaps we’ll get to see a younger version ofAlan Rickman’s Snape on the big screen. While we wait for more updates, take a look at the fans' touching tribute to the late greatAlan Rickman.
