The new adaptation of Stephen King’s 1986 novel IT doesn’t hit theaters nationwide until this Friday, but one of its stars is already talking about the sequel.
In an interview with Metro UK, Bill Skarsgård, who plays the demonic, child-eating Pennywise the Dancing Clown, briefly discussed the plans for a second film. “I am attached to it,” he revealed, “but that’s all I can say. We’re in the early stages.”
Skarsgård Hopes For A Deeper Look At Pennywise
The actor added that there have been conversations with director Andy Muschietti, specifically geared at exploring who, or what, Pennywise is at a deeper level. “That’s where I want to go for the second one,” Skarsgård explained, “to delve into the psychological and metaphysical spaces of this transdimensional being.”
This two-movie plan has been in place from the get-go: If the first film is successful, a sequel featuring the “Losers” as adults would be next down the pike. These storylines are intermingled in the book, moving back and forth between childhood and adulthood, but with a novel so dense, the separation of the two timelines was a smart move, and certainly lends itself to a natural sequel.
As for Pennywise, extrapolating a character who is more entity than being seems like a daunting task, but, if done correctly, it could be pretty awesome. I don’t think we need to worry about ruining a good villain with a “backstory,” in the classic sense, because Pennywise isn’t your typical villain. Pennywise is IT. With a capital “I.” Fear itself, raw and ugly, and its roots go further back than we can imagine, but it could be fun to try.
IT Sequel Seems Very Likely
Official word on an IT sequel hasn’t been announced yet—there’s still the first one to get through, after all—but the likelihood of a part two seems pretty high. The film has been receiving overwhelmingly positive early reviews and is expected to smash the box office this weekend.
Director Andy Muschietti seems very confident that the IT sequel will get the greenlight. When discussing his attachment to Robotech, a film for Sony, Muschietti told Italian film outlet Bad Taste, “IT 2 is my priority. I would direct Robotech after in that case.”
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