Communications graduate and journalist from the UNAM. Editor, broadcaster, scriptwriter and content creator. Passionate about eighties music, action/sci-fi films, drama series and Hispanic literature. A staunch defender of Mexican cinema.
As the days go by, we are getting closer and closer to seeing the remake of the Harry Potter saga. Although production is still in the early stages, Max and Warner Bros. have taken great pains to make it clear that this new installment is the perfect opportunity to develop more fully the events described in the books.
Although the eight films have an average running time of around two and a half hours, it is clear that many details from the pages were discarded for their film adaptation. Among them, the appearance of a character in The Philosopher’s Stone who only existed in an alternative three-hour version.
Surely Potterheads will have no problem placing him, but those who only saw what was in the films will be unaware of the poltergeist of Howarts College, Mr. Peeves. The director, Chris Columbus, confirmed to The Wrap the existence of this character in the first installment and expressed his desire that he might come to light at some point.
If we remember correctly, The Philosopher’s Stone has a running time of 152 minutes, while the extended edition added an additional seven minutes. Despite this, in some corner of the Warner offices there is a montage of almost three hours that gives a glimpse of the mischievous spirit played by Rik Mayall.
“We knew the movie worked because we did a couple of preview screenings. In particular, we had a preview screening in Chicago of our first cut which was three hours long. After seeing it, the parents complained that it was too long, while the children said the opposite. I thought this was a good thing as children tend to have a shorter attention span.”
Chris Columbus for The Wrap.
As the filmmaker explained, this version was presented to a group of children who were delighted. However, both the studio and the parents speculated that it was too much for their age and therefore cuts of almost half an hour had to be made.
Unfortunately, the actor who played Peeves once revealed that he participated with great enthusiasm during the filming. Only to later learn that his scenes were deleted from the final cut.
“I was in the movie for three weeks, then they fired me, but I still got the money. It’s the most exciting movie I’ve ever been in, and I wasn’t in it.”
Rik Mayall for Metro UK.
Thus it was that the poltergeist dedicated to wreaking havoc on the students never appeared in any of the films. His character was completely eliminated from the film saga. And although there have been cases such as Justice League or Apocalypse Now that release their final footage, there is great hope that this version of the first installment of Harry Potter will ever come out.
However, if you would like to relive the adventures of “the boy who lived,” we remind you that you can find the complete Harry Potter saga through Max.
