Rupert Grint, who famously portrayed Ron Weasley in the Harry Potter film franchise, has shared his thoughts on the potential live-action Harry Potter series for HBO Max.

Talking to Variety, the Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry alum stated that he doesn't expect to part of the series, which was previously reported to be in the early stages of development. Grint said, "It'll be weird if it was a continuation kind of thing," he said. "I weirdly feel quite protective of that character. Even when I saw the stage shows, it was a very strange experience." He continued, "If it's like a different group of friends, I guess it would be interesting."

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Details of the series are scarce. In fact, Warner Bros. and HBO Max have stated that no such project is currently in development. However, The Hollywood Reporter, who broke the news, speculated that this is because discussions continue to be held up as no one is currently attached to the Harry Potter project and development is still in its early stages.

Although the Harry Potter franchise has been a cultural and financial success for nearly 20 years inspiring films, theme parks, video games, and extensive paraphernalia, recent controversy related to J.K. Rowling's public anti-trans politics have made the creation and promotion of new Potter-related material contentious. Beginning with a series of tweets, the matter escalated into the author publishing an essay accusing trans-women of being a threat to cis-gendered women. Rowling's repeated comments inspired not only an outcry from LGBTQ+ organizations such as GLAAD, but responses from Harry Potter stars including Eddie Redmayne and Daniel Radcliffe.

Currently, the Harry Potter universe is continuing with the prequel spin-off Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them sequel, Fantastic Beasts 3: The Crimes of Grindelwald, the filming for which is currently on pause due to a member of the production testing positive for coronavirus.

Grint is currently co-starring alongside Lauren Ambrose in M. Night Shyamalan's horror-drama series, Servant, which follows a recently bereaved mother (Ambrose) who believes the therapy doll she has been given to cope with the loss of her child is alive. The Apple TV+ series is currently in its second season.

Written by J. K. Rowling, the Harry Potter book series was adapted into films starting 2001 and ending in 2011. In addition to Grint, the movies also star Daniel Radcliffe as Harry Potter, Emma Watson as Hermione Granger, Matthew Lewis as Neville Longbottom, Bonnie Wright as Ginny Weasley, Tom Felton as Draco Malfoy and Alan Rickman as Severus Snape.

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Source: Variety