In late 2022, Warner Bros. Discovery CEO David Zaslav revealed during a Q3 earnings call that he was open to working with J. K. Rowling going forward. Zaslav's comment, among other things, including a report by a trustworthy industry insider, is arguably what sparked rumors that Warner Bros. Discovery is working on a ninth installment of the Harry Potter franchise or perhaps even a reboot. If either are in the works, Rubert Grint wants in.
Grint, who starred as Ron Weasley in the Harry Potter movie franchise, has confirmed his willingness to reprise his role if the rumored sequel happened. The 34-year-old actor said this during a recent appearance on This Morning to promote his forthcoming film Knock at the Cabin.
When one of the show's hosts asked if he was open to seeing what Ron is doing now, he responded with "Yeah, I think if the timing was right and everyone was kinda coming back I would definitely revisit it. It's a character that's important to me. I kinda grew up with him. We kinda became the same person. I feel very protective of him as well."
Given Grint's condition that his co-stars from the series must reprise their roles for him to return, will want to relax a bit. For one, Radcliffe doesn't seem to be in any hurry to return to the Wizarding World. During an interview with the New York Times in early 2022, the Weird: The Al Yankovic Story actor was asked if he is open to returning for another film like he did for the HBO Max special Harry Potter 20th Anniversary: Return to Hogwarts.
In his response, he stated that he was only able to attend the reunion because he was no longer involved with Harry Potter everyday. He further said he is happy with the current state of his life and returning for another film will change that. The Now You See Me 2 actor admitted that while he will not completely rule out a return in the future, he is not yet ready for it.
In his words, "I'm never going to say never, but the "Star Wars" guys had like 30, 40 years before they went back. For me, it's only been 10. It's not something I'm really interested in doing right now."
On the other hand, Emma Watson hasn't made any comment on the prospect of returning to the franchise for some time. The last time she made a statement remotely in line with the subject was in 2017 when, during an interview with EW Radio, where she said, "Definitely nothing planned at the moment." However, the Little Women actress admitted she might change heart in 10 years. One certain thing is that she is open to returning for another reunion on the film's 20th anniversary as she confirmed during an interview with Vogue.
Apart from Grint, Watson, and Radcliffe, other people who were involved in the franchise have weighed in on a potential return in recent times. Voldemort actor Ralph Fiennes and Draco Malfoy actor Tom Felton are two people who are open to reprising their roles while Chris Columbus, who directed the first two films in the franchise, is also open to directing the sequel.
Grint's latest project Knock at the Cabin is a psychological horror film written and directed by M. Night Shyamalan. It is the actor's first film role in eight years and he appeared on This Morning to promote it alongside his co-actor, Ben Aldridge. The film is slated for release on February 3.
While a new Harry Potter film isn't close to happening, a new game set in the Wizarding World universe is coming soon. The controversial open-world adventure game, Hogwarts Legacy, will launch on the PC, PS5, and Xbox Series S/X, on February 10.
