Harry Potter: Why Peeves Wasnt In The Movies
Peeves the Poltergeist was a prominent character in the Harry Potter book series, so where was he in the movies? The mischievous poltergeist of Hogwarts appears in all seven novels as a disruptive force, but he was notably left out of the film franchise. Throughout the books, Peeves causes constant trouble for Hogwarts students and staff alike, blocking corridors with his hijinks and coming up with nasty songs. However, his exclusion from the Harry Potter films wasn’t always the plan, with actor Rik Mayall filming never-seen scenes as the poltergeist for the first Harry Potter movie.
The Peeves Harry Potter movie’s absence was glaring among fans. The character of Peeves was a constant trouble-making presence in the halls of Hogwarts throughout the books, teasing the students and often targeting Filch. He craved chaos and wasn’t opposed to vandalism or throwing tangible objects. During the Battle of Hogwarts, Peeves fought to defend the school by attacking Death Eaters. He even created a victory song to praise Harry and the demise of Lord Voldemort. While he was left out of the films, the upcoming Harry Potter TV reboot on Max has a chance to rectify this.
Peeves Was Supposed To Be In The Harry Potter Movies
Other Ghosts Appeared In The Franchise Movies
Harry Potter Ghost | Actor |
|---|---|
Nearly Headless Nick | John Cleese |
The Grey Lady | Kelly Macdonald |
The Bloody Baron | Terence Bayler |
The Fat Friar | Simon FIsher-Becker |
Peeves | Rik Mayall |
The ghost, known for his hijinks and brightly colored Jester clothing, was a fan-favorite among book readers, so Peeves’ absence was a huge surprise and displeasure among many fans (although he did make it into the tie-in games). Fitting of the poltergeist, the truth behind that wasn’t exactly simple; while English actor Rik Mayall was cast as Peeves the poltergeist for Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone, all of his scenes were cut without his knowledge (via Metro UK).
“I played the part of Peeves. But I got sent off the set because every time I tried to do a bit of acting all the schoolkids kept getting the giggles. I did a little bit of filming – then I went home and I got the money. Significant. Then a month later they said they were sorry, they’d cut me out of the film.”
Mayall was revered as a British comedy legend before his untimely death in 2014. Outside of Peeves, he’s best known for his work in The Young Ones, Blackadder, Bottom, and Drop Dead Fred, among many other projects. The brilliant comedian was often praised for his creative approach to humor, helping jump start the alternative comedy movement in the 1980s. Mayall’s career continued through the 2000s when he was cast as Peeves the Poltergeist for the Harry Potter films.
Mayall later opened up about the experience and the Peeves Harry Potter movies absence to InternetGore.com (via YouTube), revealing an honest account of what happened. He ended up playing Peeves the Poltergeist despite limited interest in the Harry Potter books (he described the resulting film as “sh*t“) and spent three weeks filming on location. It wasn’t until much later that he learned all of his scenes had been cut, and his children didn’t find out until after seeing the movie, in which they’d believed that he played the role of Hagrid.
In the interview, he didn’t have great feelings about the movie, but it seemed like there was no malice behind his words. Instead, he was poking fun at the situation in his typical style of humor. Although Mayall didn’t explain the reasoning behind Peeves’ Harry Potter absence, he did mention how his jokes caused distractions on set every time cameras rolled. Given that, it’s a shame that the filmmakers cut Mayall’s portrayal as Peeves, because all the evidence proves that he would have done a fantastic job at playing Harry Potter‘s master of mischief.
Peeves Is In Hogwarts Legacy
Peeves Is In The Open World RPG Video Game
The Peeves Harry Potter absence aside, he does appear in-game in the Wizarding World venture, Hogwarts Legacy. Peeves the Poltergeist appears various times throughout the narrative, all in his book accurate jester-style clothing, and causes nothing but disruptions as is his fundamental right as a poltergeist. The Hogwarts ghost was a huge character in the books, and it came as a massive surprise that the trouble-making spirit didn’t make it into the Harry Potter movies in some capacity.
At least his antics are present in
Hogwarts Legacy
While many of the Hogwarts ghosts’ best stories were cut from the feature films, Peeves the poltergeist was a much more boisterous presence in the novels than the other ghosts, making his cut appearance nearly inconceivable among fans. Either way, at least his antics are present in Hogwarts Legacy, even if he was nixed from the Harry Potter movies.
HBO’s Harry Potter Series Needs To Include Peeves
The New Television Remake Can Add Him Back Easily
With the announcement that a Harry Potter reboot television series is on the way for Max, a live-action Peeves the Poltergeist could make his way to the screen. Max announced via Twitter that a scripted television show that remains faithful to J.K. Rowling’s prolific book series has been ordered, and the show is in its earliest development. The TV show seeks to adapt one Harry Potter book per season, which means that the Peeves absence can finally be rectified. Though not a large character, Peeves had some of the funniest quotes in the HP series.
Peeves isn’t the only item cut from the Harry Potter movies. There are a lot of storylines in the novels that didn’t make it into the movies that the Harry Potter reboot series could pick up to fully flesh out the world. That’s especially true if each season adapts one novel in the series, allowing for more depth of storytelling and world-building than a movie would have time for.
The Harry Potter films did a disservice to fans and audiences alike by excluding characters like Peeves from the final cut. He’s one of the odd characters that makes Hogwarts such a special place from the regular world. Due to Rik Myall’s passing, he won’t be able to reclaim the iconic role of Peeves the Poltergeist. Though, showrunners have a wealth of options to choose from in the world of British comedy to portray the character.
The casting process has yet to begin for the Harry Potter reboot, and there’s no word yet if Peeves will be included. However, if studios want to remain faithful to Rowling’s work, Peeves must be included.
Peeves Was One Of Many Aspects Cut From The Harry Potter Books
The HBO Series Can Really Deepen The Harry Potter Storyline
The movies cut so many storylines because they have only a limited time to devote to the books’ main stories. One of the biggest omitted storylines involved Hermione and her efforts to advocate for the rights of the House Elves in the Wizarding World. The only real Elf given much attention in the movies was Dobby, but there was a big story where Hermione set up a plan to help House Elves gain their freedom. This is something that the HBO series can add back into the story.
Neville Longbottom was hinted to be the real Chosen One in the books.
Several characters got shorted in the movies, which had to rely mostly on the three friends and their enemies. With that said, Neville Longbottom had a great story about possibly being the real Chosen One in the books, and while the movies hinted at this, it never played out the way it did on the page since Neville was not shown much. Adding in many of Neville’s scenes would show his true importance that the movies never touched upon. The same thing could be said for the entire Weasley family.
Leaving Peeves the Poltergeist out was a sad moment, but it was just something book fans missed. With that said, so many storylines left out of the movies could help strengthen the HBO series, from bumping up the character’s screen time to adding Hermione’s side efforts. Add in some backstories omitted from the movies, such as the Mauraders, Ariana Dumbledore, and Voldemort, and the Harry Potter HBO series has a chance to rectify all those omissions.
