Rupert Grint is heading back to Harry Potter — but not everyone is celebrating.
The actor spent 10 years playing Ron Weasley across Warner Bros.’ eight Harry Potter films, growing up on screen alongside Daniel Radcliffe and Emma Watson.
Since the movie series ended, however, the franchise has become increasingly tied to controversy surrounding author JK Rowling and her comments about transgender people.
Several of the films’ stars have publicly disagreed with Rowling over the years. Grint was among them, making his newly announced return to the Wizarding World a flashpoint for some fans.
Rupert Grint Is Returning as Ron Weasley
According to Deadline, Grint will reprise Ron Weasley in the Broadway production of Harry Potter and the Cursed Child at New York’s Lyric Theatre.
His run begins February 2, 2027, and is scheduled to continue through May 30, 2027.
It will mark the first time Grint has played Ron since Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2 brought the original film series to an end in 2011.
The stage production continues the story after the Deathly Hallows epilogue, following the original characters as adults while their children attend Hogwarts.
Grint is now 38, putting him close to Ron’s age at this point in the story. Like Ron, he is also a father.
“Ron Weasley has been a part of me since I was 11 years old and I can’t wait to meet him again in this stage of life. There is something so full-circle and so special about stepping back into Ron’s shoes now when we are both fathers; it is somehow both very familiar and completely new. And the joy of being back on Broadway, this time in a role that defined so much of my life is truly exciting.”
“The first time I saw Cursed Child onstage,” he said, “I was blown away and I can’t wait to set foot back on Platform 9 ¾ and pick up where I left off. I am overjoyed to join this exceptional cast and crew at the Lyric Theatre this winter.”
Grint is also following another original cast member back to the franchise.
Tom Felton has played Draco Malfoy in the Broadway production since November 2025. His current run is due to end January 3, 2027, less than a month before Grint takes over as Ron.
Producers Sonia Friedman and Colin Callender said Grint’s performance had helped define the character for generations.
“Rupert Grint’s performance as Ron Weasley in the eight Harry Potter films defined for generations what it meant to be a loyal and brave friend even in the face of adversity and hardship. We, along with all the wizarding world fans around the globe, watched Rupert grow up through his portrayal of Ron while preserving the qualities at the very heart of the character – his humor, his bravery, and of course, that unmistakably cheeky grin – like an invisible thread woven throughout the years.”
The producers added, “Rupert is not simply revisiting a role from his past. He is continuing a journey he began as a child and carrying it forward with all the life and experience he has gained since filming concluded.”
Fans Point to Grint’s Previous Rowling Comments
The casting announcement quickly revived Grint’s previous comments about Rowling.
In June 2020, the actor publicly supported the transgender community amid growing controversy over the author’s statements about sex and gender.
“Trans women are women. Trans men are men. We should all be entitled to live with love and without judgment.”
Rowling had already faced criticism before Grint issued his statement.
In 2018, she was criticized for liking a tweet referring to trans women as “men in dresses.” Her representative blamed the incident on a “clumsy and middle-aged moment.”
In December 2019, Rowling publicly backed researcher Maya Forstater after she initially lost a preliminary employment tribunal hearing.
Rowling has since continued discussing transgender issues publicly, primarily on X, while clashing with critics, activists, and figures associated with the Harry Potter franchise.
Radcliffe and Watson have both publicly expressed support for transgender people and have maintained more distance from Rowling.
Grint has taken a more complicated position.
In 2022, he described Rowling as an “auntie” whom he still respected despite disagreeing with some of her views.
“I don’t necessarily agree with everything my auntie says, but she’s still my auntie,” he said. “It’s a tricky one.”
For some fans, that history made his return to Harry Potter difficult to reconcile with his earlier statements.
“My [apologies] to Tom Felton,” wrote one fan. “It turns out he isn’t the only chopped hoe willing to sacrifice his moral for cash.”
Another said, “So desperate & unemployed, he signed on for this mess.”
One fan wrote, “This was Not on my 2026 bingo card. I stood 10 toes down for him! Wtf!!! Rupert Grint!! How dare you take this role! I am absolutely disgusted! Your character is tainted, and you will face your fans, and it is entirely your fault!!”
the way every main cast member of this series is a spineless flop coward except my beautiful short king daniel radcliffe https://t.co/HTfmnAYGf9
— bele ཐི⋆ཋྀ (@siniysvolk) August 26, 2026
Others focused specifically on the fact that, unlike Felton – who has vaguely stated that he is “pro-human rights across the board” – he has explicitly voiced opposition to Rowling’s views.
“Imagine being clear that you stand against JKR’s transphobia and then turning around and doing this.”
Another wrote, “Somehow this feels worse than Tom Felton because of how outspoken Rupert’s been against she who shall not be named’s transphobic views but is now going into a show that funds her anti-trans crusade.”
Grint has never suggested that he intended to leave Harry Potter behind completely.
In 2025, he said he would “never step out of Ron Weasley’s shadow” and said he was “intrigued” by HBO’s upcoming television reboot.
That series will feature an entirely new cast, with Alastair Stout taking over the role of Ron Weasley. However, some fans are still rooting for the original cast to make cameos.
What do you think of Rupert Grint reprising the role of Ron Weasley?
