With a mostly fleshed-out cast, production underway, and a 2027 release plan, HBO’s Harry Potter show is chugging right along — but there’s one character who has yet to be cast, and it’s a challenging role to fill. After the huge success of the Harry Potter movies, replacing the former stars with new talent was always going to be a difficult feat. And it’s too soon to tell if the new Golden Trio will become as recognizable as the movie actors, but the potential is there.
Whether the new Harry Potter show lands will depend on a lot of things, including its ability to set itself apart from the original films. One way it can do that is by telling a tale that’s more faithful to the books, and Season 1 can start by bringing in a cut Sorcerer’s Stone character. Fortunately, it’s already confirmed that the series will do so. However, we’ve yet to get a casting announcement, and this character’s going to be a difficult one to nail.
The Harry Potter Remake Still Hasn’t Cast Peeves the Poltergeist
Despite casting many of its roles, the Harry Potter series still hasn’t found someone to play Peeves the Poltergeist — or at least, it hasn’t announced who’s tackling the part. We do have confirmation that Peeves will appear in the show, as director Mark Mylod and showrunner Francesca Gardiner told HarryPotter.com, “We’ll get to have some fun with Peeves in the corridors!” This is a relief after the movies didn’t include Peeves, who’s a prominent figure at Hogwarts in the books, despite being a supporting character. His trickster presence is always felt, and that starts as soon as Harry arrives at school.
In the remake, we’ll get to see Peeves tormenting the first years, and if the writers stick to the book, he should encounter the Golden Trio during their late-night excursions beneath the Invisibility Cloak. He’ll appear in later seasons as well, allowing fans to see all the comical Peeves moments from the books play out on-screen at long last. And as Peeves requires a certain balance between lighthearted mischief and more mean-spirited humor, he requires an actor with a fine touch. That’s a challenge on its own, and there’s another reason the creators are facing an uphill battle.
Finding the Right Peeves Actor Will Be a Challenge for the HBO Show
Image Courtesy of HBO Max
The fine line an actor must walk with Peeves’ personality already makes him a challenging character to cast, but there’s a bigger reason the Harry Potter remake has its work cut out for it. The movies initially included Peeves, and they had the perfect star for the role — one it will be difficult to top. British comedian Rik Mayall originally played the part in Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone, but he was cut from the final product. He recounted the experience on video once (via Metro UK), saying:
“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 passed away in 2014, but he was the ideal choice for the part. His uproarious comedy proved as much, making it easy to envision him as Peeves. It’s tragic that it will never come to pass, and it’s another hurdle for the remake to clear. It probably won’t find someone as perfect to play Peeves, but it could come close. There are a few actors who could do the character justice.
Who Could Play Peeves in the Harry Potter Remake
Image via Netflix
There are a few stars who could play Peeves believably in the Harry Potter remake, and most of them have experience balancing humor with something a bit deeper. Mark Hamill is one option, and he’d bring the sort of star power that the adults in the Harry Potter show need. There’s also Simon Pegg, whose performances in Spaced and The World’s End both speak to his ability to deliver biting lines that make us all laugh. And The Umbrella Academy‘s Robert Sheehan can blend comedy with something more serious (plus, the Netflix series already saw him talking to plenty of ghosts). Whoever the series decides on, they’ll have big shoes to fill — but that’s true of nearly every cast member, which should make for an interesting time.
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