In the books, we discover that one day he fell asleep in the staff room and died, simply leaving his body behind him and continuing to teach as a ghost.
He teaches Harry for his first three years at Hogwarts (after which, the young wizard quickly drops History of Magic as a subject) and, in his second year, relays the legend of the Chamber of Secrets to the class.
Alongside Durden’s casting, HBO announced that Warwick Davis will reprise his role as Professor Filius Flitwick, with Sirine Saba playing professor of Herbology Pomona Sprout, while Bríd Brennan will take on the role of Madam Poppy Pomfrey.
Director Chris Columbus, who helmed the first two movies, recently told Radio Times his hopes for the series including elements from the books that he did not have time for in the films.
He said: “There was so much we couldn’t put in the films – they weren’t short, they were over two and a half hours long, but I still struggled. It still keeps me up at night sometimes.”
Specifically, he shared: “I missed the fact that I was never able to put Peeves in the first film.”
Peeves is a mischievous poltergeist who wreaks havoc at Hogwarts. He was due to be played by comedian Rik Mayall in the films but was eventually cut completely as Columbus and his team were never happy with how he looked.
“Plus, there is a scene in the first book, Philosopher’s Stone, where Hermione and Harry are tasting potions in one of the challenges, and one of them could die at any moment,” Columbus remembered.
“It’s like this incredible chess match that we just did not have time to shoot. So hopefully those scenes will be reinstated. They have 10 hours. I hope they use them well.”
Durden has a range of TV and film credits to his name, including appearances in Silent Witness, Ghosts, and Bridgerton.
Harry Potter author JK Rowling has faced backlash in some quarters due to her views on transgender rights. In 2020, she published a lengthy statement detailing her stance on sex and gender debates – the essay was criticised and disputed by LGBTQ+ charities including Stonewall.
Rowling has also shared her views on social media, including in a 2024 post on X (formerly Twitter), in which she insisted that “there are no trans kids” and opposed the idea that a child can be “born in the wrong body”.
In May 2025, Rowling set up the JK Rowling Women’s Fund, which describes itself as offering legal funding support to “individuals and organisations fighting to retain women’s sex-based rights”.
Harry Potter actors including Daniel Radcliffe, Rupert Grint, and Emma Watson, have distanced themselves from Rowling’s views and have issued statements supporting the transgender community. Others, including Ralph Fiennes, Helena Bonham Carter and Jim Broadbent, have defended the author from the criticism she has received.
The Harry Potter series will stream on HBO Max.
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