Harry Potter: the Hogwarts Poltergeist will finally be in the HBO series

Absent from all eight films despite his importance in the novels, Peeves will finally make his screen debut. HBO has found its interpreter: Peter Serafinowicz.

This is an announcement that should delight readers of JK Rowling. HBO has formalized the recruitment of Peter Serafinowicz to play Peeves, the famous poltergeist of Hogwarts, in its new television adaptation of Harry Potter.

A cult character in the novels, Peeves is a particularly turbulent ghost who spends his time sowing chaos in the corridors of the witchcraft school. Despite his popularity with readers, he never appeared in the eight films of the saga. This absence has long been considered one of the greatest frustrations of fans, as Peeves plays a recurring role in the books, multiplying the pranks, the provocations and the moments of comedy within the castle.

The story is all the more surprising since Peeves had indeed been planned in the first film. The role was entrusted to British actor Rik Mayall, who died in 2014. Several scenes were even filmed before the character was finally deleted during editing for reasons of length. Years later, Mayall humorously recounted being paid anyway before learning he wouldn’t appear in the film.

To take up the torch, HBO chose Peter Serafinowicz, a face well known to pop culture fans. The actor recently appeared in the live-action remake of Dragons and also made an impact on Parks and Recreation fans with his character Edgar Covington. Marvel audiences saw him in Guardians of the Galaxy, while Star Wars fans are most familiar with his voice as Darth Maul in Star Wars: Episode I: The Phantom Menace

The arrival of Peeves perfectly illustrates HBO’s ambition for this new version of Harry Potter.

Scheduled for seven seasons, each devoted to one of JK Rowling’s novels, the series intends to explore the Hogwarts universe in much greater depth than the films. Producers have regularly promised an adaptation more faithful to the books, with more characters, subplots and moments left out of the feature films. And if there was one character who symbolized this promise, it was Peeves.

Broadcast scheduled for Christmas 2026 on HBO Max in France.