Surprising way Rupert Grint spent his millions as new Ron Weasley is confirmed for HBO's Harry Potter series

If you're a big Potterhead, you'll have already heard the exciting news that HBO has now officially cast its new Harry Potter, Hermione Granger and Ron Weasley ahead of the upcoming magical series.

Yesterday (27 May), it was announced that Hermione will be played by Arabella Stanton, while Alastair Stout will star as Ron, and Dominic McLaughlin will take on the titular lead role.

The HBO series is expected to debut in 2026, nearly 30 years on from Harry Potter first being introduced to the world with the Philosopher's Stone book.

For a number of generations, it will be hard to see past Daniel Radcliffe, Emma Watson and Rupert Grint as the golden trio, but the newly confirmed actors will be hoping to leave a similar legacy, as they join big names such as John Lithgow (Albus Dumbledore), Janet McTeer (Minerva McGonagall) and Nick Frost (Rubeus Hagrid) in the cast.

The new Harry Potter actors have been announced (Dave M. Benett/Getty Images)

While it might not have dawned on them just yet, if the show is anywhere near as successful as the films, then the three kids will likely become millionaires in the future, and that can lead to some big decisions.

A prime example is perhaps Grint who admitted to spending some of his pay cheques in a very unusual way. Reports vary on how much the Knock at the Cabin star raked in for all eight films, but it's believed that he made around £37 million.

In a 2014 interview with the Daily Mail, the 36-year-old revealed that he bought himself an ice cream van, but managed to immediately disappoint some kids after failing to stock it.

He said: "Not long after I first got it, I pulled into a pub to do a U-turn and there were eight kids with their pocket money out, hoping to buy a 99 or whatever.

"But I had nothing to give them. I've learnt my lesson since then."

The actor added: "I tend to avoid July and August, but the rest of the year, I'll drive around the local villages and if I see some kids looking like they’re in need of ice creams, I'll pull over and dish them out for free.

"They’ll say, 'Ain’t you Ron Weasley?' And I’ll say, 'It’s strange, I get asked that a lot'."

Imagine being served an ice-cream by Ron Weasley (Warner Bros.)

Grint has previously suggested that he would be open to returning to the Wizarding World under two conditions, so perhaps we could hold out hope to see him cast as the dad of young Ron, or another red-haired family member.

Now that he's a father of two young girls, who he shares with partner Georgia Groome, you'd imagine that Grint dishes out the majority of ice cream in his own home, and if not, well it seems he is now the one that has to sort out his priorities.

But while plenty of kids will have dreamed of being in Harry Potter, it's great to see that he was able to achieve his own more down-to-earth dreams on the back of starring in the hugely successful franchise.