It may not be a celebrity story to rival the endless coverage of Michael Jackson's death, but actor Rupert Grint, who plays ginger-kid Ron Weaseley in the Harry Potter films, is reportedly recovering from a mild case of swine flu.

Grint's management said that he took a few days off from work on the adaptation of the series' final book, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, which will be released as two movies. The next flick in the franchise, Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince hits theaters on July 15.

Swine flu aside, it must be something of a relief for Grint -- along with fellow Potter stars Daniel Radcliffe and Emma Watson -- to be finally seeing the end of the J.K. Rowling gravy train. While the massively popular film series gave the trio instant celebrity and all the opportunities that brings, they've been chained to the Potter films for half their lives. Grint, who was 13 when he made the first film, turns 21 in August, and seems to have made solid choices so far in building his career. Along with a fair amount of British radio and TV voiceover work, he was praised for his role in 2006's Driving Lessons opposite Laura Linney and Julie Walters.

Grint's transition into adult roles has so far been limited to an Irish teen coming-of-age film called Cherrybomb, which wasn't released in the U.S., and a turn as an assassin's apprentice opposite Bill Nighy and Rupert Everett in the upcoming Wild Target. Alfonso Cuaron, who directed HP: Prisoner of Azkaban, said that of all the Potter kids, he thought Grint had the most potential for future stardom -- judging by Grint's work to date, he might well be right.

At any rate, if Rupert Grint looks a tad pale when he walks the red carpet at the Half-Blood Prince premieres next week (July 7 in the UK, July 8 in the U.S.), you'll know why. He's just had a touch of the ol' H1N1 virus, but he's almost all better.