Which movie? Harry Potter And The Philosopher's Stone Where would it be in film? Throughout the first movie, and had it been included likely some later installments as well. What happens? Hogwarts' resident poltergeist, Peeves, was set to appear in the first movie played by the Rik Mayall. No footage of the late actor's turn has been released, but it can be assumed the character would have filled a similar role as in the book, providing some comic relief as he anarchically comments on the story's events - think a more mischievous version of Nearly-Headless Nick. Should it have been cut? The Philosopher's Stone was a pretty faithful adaptation (particularly compared to the later movies), so the exclusion of this minor character stood out like a sore thumb. However, aside from giving audiences some more of the ever-delightful Mayall, it's hard to imagine his scenes would really add much to an already magical movie. The film is already on the long-side, so Peeves' scenes make the most sense to cut. J.K. Rowling subsequently gave the charactr a more plot-essential role in later books, viewed by some as an attempt to trip up the film-makers, but they never relented and included him, instead coming up with elaborate work-arounds.
