Rupert Grint’s letter to the new Ron Weasley before the Harry Potter series

“It’s quite strange to see this cycle repeating itself…” The actor of the film franchise contacted his successor.

Before the start of filming on the Harry Potter series on HBO, Rupert Grint wrote a letter to Alastair Stout, the new actor who takes over the role of Ron Weasley.

Grint played Ron in the franchise’s eight films between 2001 and 2011. In this television reboot, Stout will star alongside Dominic McLaughlin as Harry and Arabella Stanton as Hermione. He told the BBC:

“I wrote to him before they started, to pass the baton, so to speak. It was just to wish him the best. I had so much fun entering into this world, and I hope he has the same experience… It’s quite strange to see this cycle repeating itself. I’m really curious to see what it will be like.”

Grint notes that there is “a little family resemblance” between him and Stout, adding:

“I think it’s great that it’s totally new. It’ll be its own version, and I think it’ll be fun.”

Rupert Grint has always been in favor of new actors taking over the franchise. In an interview with GQ UK in July 2023, before the announcement of the HBO series, he confided: “I want to see Harry Potter adapted into a TV series. I think it would really work. The films will be remade one day anyway.”

For his part, Daniel Radcliffe, who played Harry Potter in the cinema, also reached out to the young actor who is reprising his role. On Good Morning America, Radcliffe explained that he wrote a letter to McLaughlin and received “a very nice response” in return. It is not yet known whether Emma Waston did the same with Arabella Stanton.

The Harry Potter series is expected on HBO and HBO Max in 2027.