Tom Felton reprised his role as Draco Malfoy on Broadway last year when he joined the cast of Harry Potter and the Cursed Child. The actor's run has been extended and now concludes in January, and another original cast member is set to follow in his footsteps.
It's been confirmed that Rupert Grint will return as Ron Weasley in Harry Potter and the Cursed Child at the Lyric Theatre from February 2 to May 30, 2027. This also marks his return to Broadway after he starred in It's Only a Play in 2014.
The Cursed Child is set 19 years after the events of The Deathly Hallows, and follows Harry, Ron, Hermione, and Draco as they team up to save the Wizarding World after Harry's and Draco's sons, who befriend each other at Hogwarts, change history during a time-travelling adventure, bringing Lord Voldemort back from the dead.
"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," Grint said today. "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, I was blown away, and I can’t wait to set foot back on Platform 9 3/4 and pick up where I left off," he continued. "I am overjoyed to join this exceptional cast and crew at the Lyric Theatre this winter."
This is likely the only time Harry Potter fans will see one of the original Harry, Ron, and Hermione actors reprise their iconic roles. While there was once talk of a feature version of The Cursed Child, that seems doubtful after author J.K. Rowling lashed out at Daniel Radcliffe and Emma Watson for disagreeing with her views on trans people.
Grint has, however, made his stance clear. He previously said, "I firmly stand with the trans community and echo the sentiments expressed by many of my peers. Trans women are women. Trans men are men. We should all be entitled to live with love and without judgment."
Whether it's Harry Potter cast members heading to the stage or the original stars of Hamilton returning to their respective roles, these A-list cameos have become a huge draw both on Broadway and in London's West End. Grint's return as Ron, though, is one of the biggest yet.
Harry Potter and the Cursed Child 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 humour, his bravery, and of course, that unmistakably cheeky grin — like an invisible thread woven throughout the years."
They added, "In joining our extraordinary company onstage at the Lyric Theatre in New York City, 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, including a career that has taken him from film to television to acclaimed stage work on both Broadway and the West End."
"His return creates a powerful bridge between the story audiences first fell in love with and the story of family, legacy and the passage of time that Harry Potter and the Cursed Child carries forward. We feel enormously privileged not only to welcome a world-class actor to our Broadway company, but to welcome back the actor who made Ron Weasley so beloved.”
Harry Potter and the Cursed Child is directed by John Tiffany and written by Jack Thorne, based on an original story by J. K. Rowling, Tiffany, and Thorne.
The current Broadway cast includes John Skelley as Harry Potter, Emmet Smith as Albus Potter, Aidan Close as Scorpius Malfoy, Janae Hammond as Rose Granger-Weasley, Trish Lindstrom as Ginny Potter, Daniel Fredrick as Ron Weasley, Rachel Christopher as Hermione Granger, and Kristen Martin as Delphi Diggory. It appears Felton and Grint will not cross paths on stage.
Tickets for the latter's run in Harry Potter and the Cursed Child will go on sale starting September 1.