10 Ways Ron Weasley Could (& Should) Be Different In HBO's Harry Potter Remake

May 2, 2024, 5:15 p.m.

Movies

10 Ways Ron Weasley Could (& Should) Be Different In HBO's Harry Potter Remake

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Summary The Harry Potter TV show's Ron should maintain his open-hearted and welcoming nature to enhance his character development.

Ron's distinct lines from the books should be included in the show to establish his loyalty and bravery.

The show should delve into Ron's relationships with family members, providing a deeper understanding of his character.

The upcoming Harry Potter TV show reboot has the opportunity to improve upon Ron Weasley's character by making him different from the previous versions in several key ways. In both the books and the movies, Ron is a beloved member of the Golden Trio who brings levity and humor to the story as Harry's best friend and Hermione's foil/love interest. Rupert Grint's performance as Ron is a cornerstone of the multi-billion dollar Harry Potter movie franchise. However, there is still room for improvement as HBO sets out to adapt the character's story again.

Some major changes the Harry Potter TV show should make include bringing back personality traits and storylines of Ron's from the books that did not make it into the movies. However, there are aspects of Ron's character in the books that could be changed, or at least handled better. The most problematic things about the Harry Potter series include harmful stereotypes in the Wizarding World, attitudes which Ron demonstrates at certain points. The new TV show can tell a better story regarding many aspects of the original version, including where Ron is concerned.

10 The Harry Potter Remake's Ron Should Be Open-Hearted & Welcoming Again

Ron is Harry's best friend because he initiated their first conversation.

One of Ron's best qualities is how welcoming and understanding he can be. He strikes up a conversation with Harry on the train to Hogwarts, leading to their lifelong friendship. He is always suggesting that Harry (Daniel Radcliffe in the movies) come to visit his family during the holidays and is usually the one to remember that Harry didn't grow up in the Wizarding World and explains things to him, rather than expecting Harry to know them anyway.

A slight alteration the Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone movie makes is that Ron doesn't know who Harry is when he joins him in his train compartment, while in the book, Fred and George (James and Oliver Phelps) meet Harry first and tell Ron. This knowledge makes Ron look a lot more welcoming, as he approaches Harry and starts talking to him despite possibly being intimidated by him. Ron's entire family provides the support that Harry needs, but this only happens because Ron reaches out to Harry in the first place.

9 The Harry Potter Remake Should Give Ron Back All His Lines

Other characters say a lot of Ron's lines from the Harry Potter books in the movies.

Ron should say some of these lines to help establish that, despite his occasional fights with Harry and Hermione, he is a deeply loyal and brave friend.

A well-trodden area of complaint about the Harry Potter movies is that several of Ron's lines that best demonstrate his personality and competence under pressure are given to Hermione (Emma Watson). Perhaps the most noteworthy instance is when Hermione, instead of Ron, asserts to Sirius (Gary Oldman) that "If [he wants] to kill Harry, he has to kill [both of them] too." Some exposition from the books said by Ron is also given to Hermione. The intention behind this was probably to illustrate Hermione's vast amount of knowledge from reading so much.

However, it takes away from Ron's character, reducing him to a comedic sidekick archetype. In terms of exposition, the show needs to find a better balance between Ron and Hermione; Hermione will still stand as the best student because of the number of spells she has at her disposal, while the writers should not forget that Ron grew up in the Wizarding World and knows everything about it. Additionally, Ron should say some of these lines to help establish that, despite his occasional fights with Harry and Hermione, he is a deeply loyal and brave friend.

Related 10 Times Hermione Stole Other People's Lines In Harry Potter As Hogwarts' cleverest witch, Hermione Granger has some of the best moments in the Harry Potter movies — but not all of them were hers in the books.

8 The Harry Potter Remake Should Include Ron's Scenes With Dobby

Ron is very fond of Dobby in the books.

When Dobby (Toby Jones) returns in Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1, he enthusiastically greets Ron and says it is "so good to see [him] again." This is a plot hole because Ron and Dobby have never met each other in the movies. The interaction obliquely references the events of the book, where Dobby works at Hogwarts from the fourth book onward. Harry, Ron, and Hermione visit Dobby in the kitchens on occasion, and Ron instantly likes Dobby. When Dobby mentions he is saving his earnings to buy a sweater, Ron says that he can have the one he always gets for Christmas.

The interactions between Ron and Dobby are funny and would be a heartwarming addition to the show. Additionally, it could become part of how the Harry Potter show better addresses the controversial SPEW storyline from the books. Hermione forms the organization SPEW to advocate for house-elf rights, but she is generally derided for her efforts, including and especially by Ron. The show needs to do better in general regarding the depiction of house-elves, but having Ron and Harry be more supportive of Hermione's efforts is a possibility.

7 The Harry Potter Remake's Ron Should Be More Protective Of Harry & Hermione

Ron always stands up for Harry and Hermione in the books.

Ron loses his famous line in the Shrieking Shack in Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, as well as other moments that demonstrate what a protective friend (and later boyfriend) he is. Ron gets some moments of defending Harry to other characters, including Draco (Tom Felton) and Seamus (Devon Murray) in the movies, but not as many as he could have. A particular scene that is ruined is when Snape (Alan Rickman) calls Hermione a "know-it-all" in class in Prisoner of Azkaban, and Ron only bleakly agrees with him. In the book, Ron stands up and shouts at Snape, and ends up in detention.

Ron is by no means perfect, but he is relentlessly protective. While the movies hold on to some of the moments that illustrate this from the books, they don't include enough to make this one of Ron's strongest character traits. It would, overall, make Ron a more appreciable character for viewers whose introduction to Harry Potter is HBO's TV show.

6 The Harry Potter Remake Should Show More Of Ron's Relationships With His Siblings

The movies don't have a lot of screen time for the dynamics among the Weasley family.

Ron is protective of Harry and Hermione, but also of his younger sister Ginny (Bonnie Wright). The movies only make time for Ron's awkward discomfort about Ginny dating, while the books show more of how Ron has always been protective of her, including his determination to save her from the Chamber of Secrets. Other moments are cut that show Ron's affection for his sister, such as him saying to Professor McGonagall (Maggie Smith) that he wants to see her sorted.

The only relationship between Ron and any of his siblings thoroughly depicted in the movies is how Fred and George are always making fun of him, which is true to the books. However, there is more to unpack here to create a fuller picture of the Weasely family. For instance, Ron's oldest brothers, Bill (Domhnall Gleeson) and Charlie, are kind and protective of him as he is with Ginny, while Percy (Chris Rankin) never ceases to annoy him. These details would make Ron a more complete character, as well as do the same for his siblings.

5 The Harry Potter Remake Should Let Ron Share More Stories About His Family

Ron is always telling Harry and Hermione stories about his family.

Additionally, Ron is further developed as a character in the books through how he often shares stories about his childhood with his friends. It makes him more detailed by giving a sense of his upbringing not just with many siblings but a large extended family, which notably contrasts with Harry, who is an orphan, and Hermione, an only child who never mentions any family besides her parents. When the trio is faced with a dilemma, Ron often has some story to share about something his father did at work or an argument he and his siblings had that is somehow relevant.

For instance, in the Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets book, Ron shares that he is scared of spiders because Fred managed to turn his teddy bear into a giant spider at a young age — which Hermione finds funny. When Harry admits that he has been seeing a large black dog in Prisoner of Azkaban, Ron relates that his Uncle Billius (also his namesake for his middle name) saw a Grim and died less than 24 hours later. These stories tell the audience about Ron's entire life, rather than just his life after meeting Harry.

4 The Harry Potter Remake Should Include Ron's Full Quidditch Storyline

The subplot of Ron becoming a great Quidditch player is rushed in the movies.

The movie adaptation of Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix has too much to cover to show Ron joining the Quidditch team in his fifth year, so this is pushed back to Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, which features more downtime. Ron is always a nervous player and struggles throughout Order of the Phoenix on the Quidditch pitch. However, he manages to make a comeback and helps win the Quidditch Cup at the end of fifth year. Despite this, he is once again nerve-racked for the first match in the main trio's sixth year.

Harry then tricks Ron into thinking he has taken liquid luck to make Ron more confident in his own abilities. In general, the Quidditch storylines are minimized in the movies because they don't have that much to do with the overall plot. Ron is a huge Quidditch fan and played with his brothers growing up, several of whom became star players for Gryffindor. Ron becoming a good Quidditch player is a small part of this story, but it is very important to him personally, revealing a little bit more about his worldview.

3 Ron Should Bully Hermione Less In The Harry Potter Remake

Ron making fun of Hermione is sometimes mean-spirited.

All the characters in the books tease Hermione for being a bookworm, to some degree, but Ron does it the most often. The problem is that it is used to justify the progression of other storylines: Ron says that Hermione is awful, so Hermione will be in the bathroom when the troll gets loose, and Harry and Ron will go to save her, cementing their friendship. Likewise, Ron's overblown reaction to Hermione attending the Yule Ball with Krum (Stanislav Yanevski) establishes that he would be jealous of anyone dating Hermione, kicking off their romantic subplot.

However, these two instances could still be toned down with the writers finding other ways to get Hermione to the bathroom or show Ron's jealousy without him being outright mean to her. If they decide they absolutely need to keep these things, all the times Ron makes fun of Hermione in between don't need to be there. Ron and Hermione are intentionally written to be a bickering pair of friends, leading to an opposites-attracting relationship, but it doesn't make much sense if he is objectively rude to her all the time.

2 The Harry Potter Remake Should Better Explain Why Ron Stops Talking To Harry In Goblet Of Fire

Ron's anger at Harry when he is chosen for the Triwizard Tournament was a long time coming.

It doesn't justify Ron's actions, but it at least makes him a more developed character.

One of the worst things Ron did in the Harry Potter series was abruptly cutting off Harry when he is forced into the Triwizard Tournament. Cutting out this story entirely is not necessarily the answer, because it would make Ron a less complicated character; Ron is a flawed person and his mistakes here demonstrate that. However, better explaining the reasons behind his actions would help.

In the Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire book, Hermione explains to Harry that Ron has always had a hard time with being overshadowed by his brothers as well as Harry, and Harry being chosen as a champion was the straw that broke the camel's back. It doesn't justify Ron's actions, but it at least makes him a more developed character. Therefore, including this conversation in the show is vital. Ron owes Harry a better apology, which he is fully aware of and even attempts — but Harry is just glad to have him back and ends the awkward conversation, saying it's all right.

Related 10 Biggest Problems With The Harry Potter TV Remake Idea No matter how beloved the Harry Potter universe once was, it may not have enough magic left to warrant yet another iteration of the franchise.

1 The Harry Potter Remake Should Highlight Ron's Sense Of Humor

Ron is the funniest member of the Golden Trio in the Harry Potter books.

Ron is the source of some of the best jokes in the Harry Potter books, almost all of which are sadly cut from the movies. Readers know about priceless moments like Ron suggesting they just make up their divination homework in Goblet of Fire, leading to him and Harry coming up with a month of hilariously morbid predictions. Ron's reaction to Luna's (Evanna Lynch) Quidditch commentary in Half-Blood Prince is also funny; the entire school, including Harry, thinks letting Luna commentate might have been a mistake, but Ron insists to Luna that he loved it.

All of Ron's jokes constitute small, individually inconsequential moments in the books that the old filmmakers understandably didn't consider relevant enough to include in the movie. However, including the many small moments that make up Ron's character would be a huge improvement the Harry Potter reboot could make. The biggest selling point for the remake is that it will be able to include more things from the books, a better version of Ron's character being a prime example of this.

Harry Potter Harry Potter is HBO's remake of the iconic Wizarding World film series that consisted of eight films between 2001 and 2011. Each season adapts a book from JK Rowling's popular series and provides more book-accurate details than the movies did. Upon the announcement of the Harry Potter TV show, the series received harsh criticism for the involvement of Rowling and for many thinking a reboot was unnecessary. Seasons 1 Streaming Service(s) HBO Max Franchise(s) Harry Potter