HBO's 'Harry Potter' Is Bringing Back a Fan-Favorite Character the Movies Cut
Harry Potterfans are sure not to be peeved at HBO's latest casting news.
Peeves the Poltergeist will appear in the network's upcoming Harry Potter series after the troublemaking ghost was controversially cut from the original film series, Variety reported on Monday, June 15. British comedian Peter Serafinowicz has reportedly been cast as the beloved book character.
Serafinowicz is best known for his roles in Shaun of the Dead, How to Train Your Dragon, Parks and Recreation, John Wick: Chapter 2, Guardians of the Galaxy andStar Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace.
Peeves' antics against the students of Hogwarts and caretaker Argus Filch have never been seen in a film adaptation of Harry Potter, but the ghost has appeared in franchise video games, including Hogwarts Legacy.
Peeves was originally set to be played by British comedian Rik Mayall in the original Harry Potter movies, but the entire role was cut for time.
"I did a little bit of filming, then I went home and got the money-significant-then a month later they said 'Rik, sorry about this, you're not in the film,'" Mayall, who died in 2014, shared in a previous interview.
Nevertheless, Mayall was offered tickets to the film's premiere, which he gave to his children when his schedule didn't allow him to attend. "I hadn't told my kids I wasn't in it yet," he joked. "And they came back and said, 'It's bloody good make-up. You didn't look like yourself at all, Dad, it's really good.' They thought I was playing Hagrid."
Chris Columbus, who directed the first two films in the franchise, admitted in an August 2025 interview with RadioTimes that cutting Peeves from his adaptations was a major regret.
"There was so much we couldn't put in the films-they weren't short, they were over two and a half hours long, but I still struggled," he told the outlet. "It still keeps me up at night sometimes."
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This story was originally published June 16, 2026 at 3:12 PM.