Colin Creevey Disappears Without A Trace After Harry Potter And The Chamber Of Secrets
One of the aspects of J.K. Rowling's wizarding world that makes it so rich is the large cast of intriguing supporting characters, including students, teachers, and ghosts at Hogwarts. Some of these characters, sadly, didn't make it into the movies — or if they did, had their parts severely cut. One of these characters is Colin Creevey, a boy at Hogwarts who practically worships Harry. Colin makes a bit of a nuisance of himself by carrying around a camera and taking pictures but proves himself a good, loyal Gryffindor by joining Dumbledore's Army in "Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix" and later, returning to his school during the Battle of Hogwarts to fight Voldemort and his Death Eaters.
Unfortunately, his main characterization is as a victim: In "Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets," he is one of the students the basilisk Petrifies, and he eventually meets his end in the Battle of Hogwarts. According to Pottermore, Colin's death is "saddest of all" because he is so young and so pure: "a character untouched by greed, hate or cruelty. He remained, throughout his time at Hogwarts, the same breathless embodiment of joy he was on his first day."
Fans of the movies who never read the books, however, don't necessarily know all this about Colin. That's because he never reappeared in the films after that second movie.
Colin was replaced with a movies-only character named Nigel Wolpert
In the films, small, blond Colin Creevey was played by Hugh Mitchell. Mitchell's IMDb page confirms that the actor was only involved in one installment of the film franchise, although he did reprise his role in the "Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix" video game — proving that the actor was willing to return as Colin. Fans have speculated that Mitchell underwent a growth spurt that made him too tall to portray the eager young Gryffindor (via Harry Potter Confessions).
But while Colin disappeared without a trace, a very similar character became part of movie canon. Nigel Wolpert (William Melling) makes his first appearance in "Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire" — the same story that introduces Colin's likewise excitable younger brother, Dennis, in the novels. Like Colin, Nigel practically worships Harry (Daniel Radcliffe); Ron (Rupert Grint) notes in Nigel's first scene that he'd asked for Harry's autograph. Like Colin, Nigel joins Dumbledore's Army and fights in the Battle of Hogwarts.
According to Melling, Nigel was even supposed to share Colin's fate — except that, as fans speculate about Mitchell, Melling had grown too large to make the scene in which Harry sees his dead body evoke the same emotions it does in the book. "I was a lot bigger by the last one ... and it just didn't work out," the actor explained to MuggleNet at LeakyCon 2012. "I don't think I was innocent enough. I was quite tall."
Colin isn't the only character who was replaced or recast over the course of the films
Colin isn't the only character who was replaced in the "Harry Potter" movies, of course. After all, the film series spans a decade, and many things can happen in 10 years. For example, Vincent Crabbe (Jamie Waylett) was replaced as a result of the actor's run-ins with the law, leading to Blaise Zabini (Louis Cordice) becoming Draco's (Tom Felton) sidekick instead.
Meanwhile, Lavender Brown was recast not once but twice, played by Kathleen Cauley in "Chamber of Secrets," Jennifer Smith in "Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban," and Jessie Cave from "Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince" onward, with the character's change in skin tone once she was given a bigger role being controversial (via MuggleNet).
Griphook was recast as well. Originally played by Verne Troyer in "Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone," Griphook was later portrayed by Warwick Davis, who also voiced the goblin's lines when he was played by Troyer, one of only two cast members in the "Harry Potter" franchise who wasn't a British star. As Griphook's role became larger, it's likely the lack of a British accent became an issue, but Troyer's problems with alcohol probably didn't help either.
Angelina Johnson, a romantic interest for George Weasley (Oliver Phelps) and a member of the Gryffindor Quidditch team, was also recast. In the first three films, she was played by Danielle Tabor, but in the fourth film, she was played by Tiana Benjamin. Metro reported in 2015 that Tabor was let go because she looked too young to be hanging out with the Weasley twins.