 Early drafts had Rons estranged brother Percy appearing in a key  supporting role but it was written out in the final drafts. In an  interview, Chris Rankin (I) (qv), who plays Percy, revealed that  his contract of the franchise stipulates that he must appear in four  films; the first three, with the option of appearing in either this  movie or the next one,  _Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (2007)_ (qv). Given the  fact that Percy appears much longer in the latter, he opted out of  the film in favour of appearing in the next one.