Harry Potter star Rupert Grint officially set to return to franchise as Ron Weasley

Harry Potter fans, known as Potterheads, are in the midst of welcoming in a brand new cast with HBO's TV adaptation of JK Rowling's Wizarding World novels set to premiere on Christmas Day, December 25.

The series is set to air weekly, with the first season named after the first book, Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone.

A second season, based on The Chamber of Secrets, is already being filmed but while the young Alistair Stout will be portraying the character of Ron Weasley in the new adaptation, the original star behind the role will be reprising it elsewhere.

Yes, original Ron Weasley actor Rupert Grint is set to return as the character in Broadway's Harry Potter and the Cursed Child play, a spin-off set 19 years after the Battle of Hogwarts featured within The Deathly Hallows.

Grint follows in the footsteps of Draco Malfoy actor Tom Felton who also recently starred in the play, returning to this original role too.

Created by JK Rowling, John Tiffany, and Jack Thorne, Harry Potter and the Cursed Child first appeared in London's West End from July 2016 before it opened up on New York's Broadway in 2018.

"It was always difficult being Harry Potter and it isn't much easier now that he is an overworked employee of the Ministry of Magic, a husband, and father of three school-age children," reads the synopsis of the play.

"While Harry grapples with a past that refuses to stay where it belongs, his youngest son Albus must struggle with the weight of a family legacy he never wanted. As past and present fuse ominously, both father and son learn the uncomfortable truth: sometimes, darkness comes from unexpected places."

Grint will do a four-month stint in the role from February 2027

Essentially, Albus and friend Scorpius Malfoy gets their hands on a time turner and go back into history to try to save and bring back Cedric Diggory who, of course, died during the events of Goblet of Fire at the hands of Voldemort, during Harry's school days.

As such, while the play introduces Harry Potter fans to a new young cast of characters, so too does it feature older versions of the characters everybody knows and loves including the likes of Harry, Draco, Ron, Hermione, and more.

Therefore, Grint will play the now-aged version of Ron who is the manager of Weasley's Wizard Wheezes alongside his brother George following Fred Weasley's passing.

Grint was 11 years old when he first stepped into the shoes of Ron Weasley and he'll now return at the age of 38.

While the UK is the 'home' of the Harry Potter franchise, it's interesting that the UK version of the play is yet to star any original movie cast members.

Both Felton and Grint have chosen to star in the Broadway edition. Whether that's because it pays more, we don't know.

READ MORE: Hogwarts Legacy 2 officially teased; first-look expected amidst Harry Potter TV series

Harry Potter and the Cursed Child is presented as one play on Broadway - or at least has been since 2021. Here in the UK, it's actually split into two plays. Theatregoers can either see the two parts across two days, or they can do a matinee and evening performance within the same day.

It's not the easiest of plays to see, as such, but from October 2026, London's edition will close and re-open in the one play format, making it much easier for people to go and see.

Perhaps prior film actors didn't want the demand of having to do two shows.

"Dusting off the old robes. New York - see you all in February," Grint wrote on his Instagram page.

Tickets for Harry Potter and the Cursed Child on Broadway are readily available for sale online with Grint set to do a four-month stint from February 2027.