Filming Starts Next Summer On Remake Of Stephen King Classic ‘It’
There has been much talk doing the rounds of a remake of Stephen King’s classic horror story It, featuring a terrifying clown by the name of Pennywise. Now it looks like things are about to go ahead, with filming to begin next summer. Yes, they will all “float down there” yet again.
Back in 1990, a two-part psychological horror miniseries was made of Stephen King’s terrifying novel It. The miniseries outlined how an evil inter-dimensional being, which takes many forms but is mainly remembered as the scary Pennywise the Clown, terrified a bunch of outcast kids, dubbed “The Losers Club.”
In the miniseries, we saw the children in their younger state battling the terrifying creature, followed by a second time period where the now-all-grown-up group is called back in an effort to defeat Pennywise the Clown, who has recently resurfaced to terrify residents of the small town yet again.
Happy Halloween, and in the words of Pennywise the Clown, just remember “everyone FLOATS!” #It #StephenKing #Clowns pic.twitter.com/VD9Xqh7nbs
— Larry Pareigis (@larrypareigis) October 31, 2015
Den of Geek reports it’s been a while in the making, but finally Andy Muschietti, who has replaced Cary Fukunaga of True Detective fame as the director on the remake, has confirmed the big-screen version will definitely go ahead. Fukunaga apparently dropped out of the project due to creative differences on the new adaptation of the Stephen King novel.
Variety interviewed Muschietti to ask him for an update on the remake of It, and he confirmed that next summer is the time for them to start shooting. It was decided to shoot It during the summer months to give them the time to work with the children who have the main roles in the first part of the classic Stephen King horror film.
The cast of the film, based on the Stephen King classic, has not yet been finalized, but reportedly Will Poulter, who starred in The Maze Runner, is definitely in the running as Pennywise the evil clown.
According to Muschietti, “Will Poulter would be a great option. For me he is at the top of my list.”
Muschietti went on to say that “King described 50s’ terror iconography,” adding that he feels there is a whole world now to “rediscover, to update.” He said there won’t be any mummies or werewolves and that the “terrors are going to be a lot more surprising.”
A recent survey found that Pennywise the Clown is the creepiest movie character. What do you think? -Amberli pic.twitter.com/7DhQ9toF82
— 94.3 CKSY (@943CKSY) October 30, 2015
New Line Cinema tapped Muschietti as the ideal choice for director, especially after the success of his feature film debut, Mama, back in 2013. The film has certain aspects very reminiscent of Stephen King, especially in that it related to a bunch of supernaturally touched children who were making life hell for all the adults surrounding them. That film started Nikolaj Coster-Waldau and Jessica Chastain, and it grossed $71 million domestically.
The success of that film, plus Muschietti’s handling of the supernatural and horror aspect, made him the perfect choice. Up until a few months ago, Fukunaga had been the chosen one after the incredible success he enjoyed with the iconic first season of True Detective. However, over the Memorial Day weekend, he split from the project over creative differences.
With so many people suffering from coulrophobia — or the fear of clowns — Stephen King’s classic horror character Pennywise the Clown will obviously be even more terrifying on the big screen. Played perfectly by Tim Curry in the television series, it will be fascinating to see who finally plays the part in the new adaptation for the big screen, which, let’s face it, simply had to happen one day.
In other Stephen King related news, the Inquisitr recently reported the release date of the miniseries version of the exciting time travel story, 11.22.63.
In the meantime, enjoy some memorable scenes with Pennywise the Clown in the video below.
[Photo via Flickr by Hersson Piratoba / CC BY-NC-ND 2.0]
