It has been confirmed that Peter Serafinowicz has been cast to play Peeves the ghost in HBO’s TV adaptation of the Harry Potter books. In case fans of the original film series adaptation by Warner Bros don’t recall this character, Peeves is a poltergeist looming the halls of Hogwarts who did not appear in any of the films, despite being a fan favourite of those who read the books by J.K. Rowling.
There were plans for the character to make an onscreen appearance, with British comedian Rik Mayall, known for appearing in The Young Ones and Drop Dead Fred, initially cast as Peeves. “I did a little bit of filming then I went home and got the money – significant,” Mayall revealed. “Then a month later they said ‘Rik, sorry about this, you’re not in the film.”
The studio cited time restraints as the reason for the character’s cut scenes.
Meanwhile, Serafinowicz has film credits on Star Wars: Episode I- The Phantom Menace, Shaun of the Dead, John Wick: Chapter 2, How to Train Your Dragon and Jingle Bell Heist. He is also due to appear in the upcoming film Elden Ring, based on the 2022 video game of the same name.
The HBO take on Rowling’s fantasy children’s books, centred on a young boy called Harry discovering he is a wizard due to start schooling at the magical boarding school Hogwarts to eventually take on the Dark Lord Voldemort, will be divided into seven seasons, each one adapting the seven books. The series is set to star Dominic McLaughlin, Alastair Stout, Arabella Stanton, John Lithgow, Janet McTeer, Paapa Essiedu and Nick Frost.
Warner Bro’s original film franchise, released between 2001 and 2011 as eight films, is the fourth highest-grossing film series ever made, thanks to a worldwide, combined gross of $7.7 billion, with the eighth and last film, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part II, being the 20th highest-grossing film ever made with a $1.3 billion box office gross. Directors involved in the film adaptations include: Chris Columbus (1–2), Alfonso Cuarón (3), Mike Newell (4), and David Yates (5–8). Joining the Harry Potter film franchise is a spin-off prequel trilogy series, Fantastic Beasts, released between 2016 and 2022.
Rowling’s original book series ran from 1997 to 2007 and has sold over 600 million copies worldwide.
Source: Variety
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