Credit: Warner Bros.Rupert Grint may have previously criticized Harry Potter author JK Rowling, but it seems like he’s not totally rejected the franchise. According to Deadline, the original Ron Weasley actor is set to rejoin the Harry Potter series.
While once beloved by the Harry Potter fandom, Rowling has courted constant controversy for a good part of a decade. In 2018, she was criticized for liking a tweet referring to trans women as “men in dresses”; her representative blamed a “clumsy and middle-aged moment.” In December 2019, she publicly backed Maya Forstater after the researcher initially lost a preliminary employment tribunal hearing, tweeting #IStandWithMaya.
Since then, she has shared multiple rants, essays, and jabs – primarily on X – aimed at the transgender community, as well as actively clashing with high-profile transgender figures and activists.
Grint later became one of several Harry Potter stars to challenge Rowling publicly. In June 2020, he issued a statement in solidarity with the transgender community in which he said, “Trans women are women. Trans men are men. We should all be entitled to live with love and without judgment.” However, he has stopped short of disowning Rowling, describing her in 2022 as an “auntie” whom he respects. “I don’t necessarily agree with everything my auntie says, but she’s still my auntie,” he said. “It’s a tricky one.”
Rupert Grint Confirms ‘Harry Potter’ Return
While co-stars Emma Watson (Hermione Granger) and Daniel Radcliffe (Harry Potter) have maintained their distance from Rowling in light of her views, it seems like Grint doesn’t draw as strong a line.
Grint is set to reprise the role of Ron Weasley in Harry Potter and the Cursed Child on Broadway from early next year.
The actor will take to the stage for the first time in the production – which picks up where the Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows epilogue left off – on February 2, 2027. His run will wrap up on May 30, 2027.
Grint portrayed Ron Weasley, Harry’s best friend, in all eight movies. He is now 38 years old – nearly the exact same age as Ron in the Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows epilogue, which takes place 19 years after the events of the Battle of Hogwarts (making Harry, Ron, and Hermione 36).
He also isn’t the first star to reprise their role. Tom Felton has played Draco Malfoy, Harry and Ron’s school nemesis, in the Broadway production since November 2025. However, the two will not share a stage, as Felton’s stint ends on January 3, 2027 – although the actor has previously extended his time in the show.
In a statement, Grint said: “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.”
In a joint statement, the show’s producers Sonia Friedman and Colin Callender said, “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 duo 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 Criticize Grint’s Return
Not everyone is quite as happy about Grint’s return to the franchise.
“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.”
And one 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!!”
A particular sticking point for many fans is the fact that while Grint hasn’t actively criticized Rowling as much as Watson and Radcliffe, he still stood against her stance towards the transgender community.
As one fan said, “Imagine being clear that you stand against JKR’s transphobia and then turning around and doing this.”
the way every main cast member of this series is a spineless flop coward except my beautiful short king daniel radcliffe
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
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.”
In 2025, after Watson addressed her feelings towards Rowling on a podcast, the author shared a lengthy rant about the actress on X. While she vaguely addressed “Emma Watson and her co-stars” early in the post, she only mentioned Watson and Radcliffe by name.
That same year, Grint – who will be replaced by actor Alastair Stout in the upcoming reboot of the series – claimed that he will “never step out of Ron Weasley’s shadow.” However, he added that he was “intrigued” by HBO’s new take on the wizarding world.
What do you think of Rupert Grint’s return to Harry Potter?
