Tom Felton and Rupert Grint are both returning to the roles that made them worldwide famous, but sadly, the two cast members will not be reunited. Warner Bros.' initial Harry Potter film adaptations spanned eight films, running from 2001 until 2011 and making household names of its cast members. In the years since, the Harry Potter franchise has continued to expand, including a stage spin-off, Harry Potter and the Cursed Child, on Broadway.
Harry Potter and the Cursed Child is a continuation of the stories told in the original film and book series, picking up with Harry, Ron, and Hermione as adults, following the 19-year-later prologue at the end of the seventh book. The trio is now parents, with the story alternating between the antics of the original heroes (now adults) and their offspring at Hogwarts.
While Harry Potter and the Cursed Child utilizes many of the franchise's familiar characters, the stage adaptation employs brand-new actors to portray these fictional icons. However, a recent trend has seen some of the Harry Potter film stars reprise their iconic roles for the stage show.
The first actor to do this was Tom Felton, who portrayed Draco Malfoy in all eight Harry Potter films and took on the role of adult Draco in the Broadway stage show in November 2025. The nineteen-year time jump in the story almost mirrored the gap in time in real life since Felton portrayed his Potter character, making him the perfect age range to now take on Draco Malfoy again later in his life. The Harry Potter film actor's role in the show has seen renewed interest on Broadway adaptation, with fans flocking to see one of the iconic cast members reprise their most famous role.
Felton's run on Broadway with Harry Potter and the Cursed Child has lasted over a year but will end in the new year, with his final performance scheduled for January 3, 2027, after which the role of Draco Malfoy will be played by Ben Thys.
This will be the end of Felton's run; however, another original Harry Potter star is waiting in the wings to try their hand at the stage magic of Harry Potter, with Rupert Grint recently announced to return to his role as Ron Weasley in Harry Potter and the Cursed Child. Grint once said that he would reprise his role as Ron "if the timing was right," which now seems to be the case with his contract for the Cursed Child in 2027:
"I think if the timing was right and everyone was kinda coming back I’d definitely revisit it. It’s a character that’s important to me."
Grint will take over as Ron starting on February 2nd, 2027, with his engagement lasting for four months, through the end of May.
This means Grint and Felton will sadly not have any crossover, with roughly a month of shows in between their first and last performances. It would have been extra special for the two Harry Potter stars to interact on-stage as their original characters, but the timing for this hasn't worked out.
Like Felton, the time gap between the end of the movies and the start of his role on Broadway almost mirrors the age gap between when Grint last played Ron in the film series, making now the ideal age for the actor to return to his iconic role.
While several Harry Potter actors have found success on stage since the conclusion of the film franchise, not least among them is Daniel Radcliffe, Harry Potter himself. However, Felton and Grint are the first of the original film cast to return to their roles in the stage show.
Harry Potter's Movie Stars Are Returning To Their Roots
The Harry Potter films may have long been put to rest, but the franchise has been nothing but dormant, to the point that cast members now have multiple ways to return to the Wizarding World if they so choose.
It was only four years ago that many of the cast reunited for the 20th Anniversary of the Harry Potter films in the HBO special Harry Potter 20th Anniversary: Return to Hogwarts, which was a reunion streaming special that saw the likes of Radcliffe, Grint, Felton, Emma Watson, Helena Bonham Carter, Ralph Fiennes, and more returning to reflect on their work on one of the biggest IPs of all time.
Harry Potter and the Cursed Child was one of the first notable expansions of the Harry Potter saga beyond books and film, and the show is only gaining in popularity now that original film stars have been enticed to return to their roles as adults. Several years ago there was rumors of a Harry Potter and the Cursed Child movie adaptation in the works, which could've served as the ideal place for the original cast members to reprise their roles in the world of film, although nothing ever eventuated.
Outside of this, HBO also has its Harry Potter television remake on the way, which so far includes only one of the original film stars in the same role: Warwick Davis as Professor Flitwick. However, the show is only one season into the seven-book adaptation, meaning there are still plenty of opportunities for the Harry Potter cast members to find new roles in the series if they so choose.
