There’ll be no filling Tim Curry’s killer-clown shoes, ever, but the new adaptation of Stephen King’s It has still found its Pennywise. It’s an intriguing choice: Bill Skarsgard, star of Netflix mystery series Hemlock Grove. And presumably, given the nature of the role, he’ll be one of few actors to appear in both segments of the two-part It series.
Image: Arthur Mola/Invision for Netflix/AP Images
That’s right: two It films are planned for the long-gestating new adaptation of the King tale, which first lurched from page to small screen in a 1990 TV miniseries starring Curry, John Ritter and Richard “John-Boy Walton” Thomas.
Originally, Cary Fukunaga (season one of True Detective) was set to direct, with actor Will Poulter (The Maze Runner, The Revenant) aboard as Pennywise. But now, the films will be under the direction of Andy Muschietti (Mama), with Skarsgard (brother of Alexander, son of Stellan) playing the balloon-dangling menace.
According to The Hollywood Reporter, which broke the casting news:
The story follows a group of teens called the Losers Club who defeat a creature called It. Years later, the creature returns, and the club, now adults, have to band together again even though they have no memory of the first battle.
New Line’s first movie will tell the kids’ story while the second movie will focus on the adults.
Variety notes that the main role in the kids’ story will be played by Jaeden Lieberher, who made such an impression as the young star of Midnight Special.
No word yet on when the Its will begin filming, but now that the face-painted monster has been cast, we probably won’t have to wait too much longer to be terrified once again by King’s story.