Tom Felton, the actor famously known for his role as the cunning Draco Malfoy in the Harry Potter film series, is set to reprise his iconic role in the acclaimed stage production Harry Potter and the Cursed Child on Broadway. This marks a historic moment as Felton becomes the first member of the original film cast to join the stage adaptation, which continues the story 19 years after the original saga concluded.
Felton, now 37, will take to the stage at New York's Lyric Theatre for a limited 19-week run starting November 11, 2025, and running through March 22, 2026. The actor expressed deep excitement about returning to the character, saying, "Being a part of the Harry Potter films has been one of the greatest honours of my life. Joining this production will be a full-circle moment for me, because when I begin performances in Cursed Child this fall, I'll also be the exact age Draco is in the play." He added, "It's surreal to be stepping back into his shoes – and of course his iconic platinum blond hair – and I am thrilled to be able to see his story through and to share it with the greatest fan community in the world."
The play itself, written by Jack Thorne and co-devised with J.K. Rowling, originally premiered in London’s West End in 2016 before transferring to Broadway in 2018. It is set nearly two decades after the events of the final Harry Potter book and explores the lives of Harry Potter, Hermione Granger, Ron Weasley, and Draco Malfoy as adults, now parents sending their own children off to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.
In Harry Potter and the Cursed Child, the narrative centers on Albus Severus Potter, Harry and Ginny’s youngest son, who struggles with the weight of his family legacy and the complexities of friendship. The play, often praised for its emotional depth and magical stagecraft, originally ran as a two-part, five-hour experience but has been condensed into a single, three-and-a-half-hour act for the Broadway production since 2021. The London production, however, continues to run in its original two-part format.
Producers Sonia Friedman and Colin Callender expressed their enthusiasm for Felton’s return, highlighting the cultural significance of this moment. "Tom Felton’s performance as a young Draco Malfoy on screen left an indelible impression on Harry Potter fans around the world," they said. "His role as Draco undeniably shaped one of the canon’s most nuanced characters. More than just a foil to Harry, Draco was a portrait of parental pressure, internal conflict, and reluctant vulnerability. Over the years, this character arc has become a symbol of how people can grow beyond the choices one was raised to make."
Adding, "As fans of the wizarding world ourselves, we feel incredibly fortunate to welcome Tom into our Cursed Child family on Broadway and to offer Harry Potter fans around the globe the once-in-a-lifetime excitement of seeing him reprise this iconic role, this time on-stage in New York City. This moment is powerful on many levels — Tom will be making his Broadway debut and is marking a full-circle moment for not just himself, but for Draco too. He gets to inhabit Draco once more, but this time as an adult facing the relatable challenges of parenthood and the complicated meaning of legacy. It’s not lost on us that this is a cultural moment charged with nostalgia, evolution, and emotion. Tom’s return to Hogwarts bridges generations of fans and breathes new life into a beloved story. We’re beyond thrilled to welcome Tom back ‘home’ but also into a new family: our Broadway company. We can’t wait to see him inhabit this role once again with the same depth, gravity, and humanity he has always brought to Draco."
Felton’s return to the wizarding world comes nearly 15 years after he last portrayed Draco Malfoy on screen in 2011. Since then, he has built a diverse acting career, including roles in the 2011 sci-fi film Rise of the Planet of the Apes, and recurring parts in TV series such as Murder in the First, The Flash, and Origin. He also made his West End theatre debut in the supernatural thriller 2:22 A Ghost Story in 2022, and appeared in Gareth Farr’s A Child of Science at the Bristol Old Vic. Felton has lent his voice to Harry Potter video games and participated in the celebrated 20th anniversary special, Return to Hogwarts, alongside his former co-stars Daniel Radcliffe, Rupert Grint, and Emma Watson.
The Harry Potter and the Cursed Child production is the highest-grossing non-musical play in Broadway history, having sold over 10 million tickets worldwide since its London premiere. It is also the fourth longest-running play on Broadway, with current productions running in London, New York, Hamburg, and Tokyo.
Tickets for Felton’s upcoming Broadway run will go on general sale June 12, 2025, with a presale starting June 10. Fans eager to secure seats can sign up for first access to the presale, which opens at 11 a.m. ET on June 10.
The Harry Potter universe continues to expand beyond the stage. HBO has announced a new television adaptation of J.K. Rowling’s book series, with filming scheduled to begin at Warner Bros Studios Leavesden in the summer of 2025. The young leads have been cast, with Dominic McLaughlin as Harry Potter, Arabella Stanton as Hermione Granger, and Alastair Stout as Ron Weasley. While the new actor for Draco Malfoy has yet to be confirmed, British actor Paapa Essiedu and American star John Lithgow have been cast as Professor Severus Snape and Professor Albus Dumbledore, respectively. Other notable cast members include Welsh comedian Paul Whitehouse as Argus Filch and Nick Frost as Rubeus Hagrid.
Felton’s return to Draco Malfoy on Broadway not only offers fans a chance to relive a beloved character but also to witness his evolution as a man and father in a story that resonates with themes of legacy, growth, and reconciliation. As Felton himself put it, "’Potter’ was a massive chunk of my childhood, and now I get to sort of go back whilst also going forward. The play is such an independent story from the ‘Potter’ films that I grew up with. We start 19 years later ... now we’re no longer children. We actually are the parents. So as much as it is reprising an old role for me, it’s very much treading into new, unfamiliar territory. I know him quite well as a kid. I don’t know him that well as an adult. So that’s the exciting challenge ahead for me."
With the magic of Harry Potter enduring in theatres and on screens worldwide, Felton’s return to Hogwarts is a moment fans have eagerly awaited, promising a blend of nostalgia and fresh storytelling that bridges generations of wizarding enthusiasts.
