New Adaptation Of Stephen King’s ‘It’ Has Finally Found Its Pennywise The Clown And A Full Cast Of Losers

One of the most horrifying and terrifying portrayals in cinematic history came in the form of a clown in a made-for-TV miniseries. Tim Curry took on the role of Pennywise the Clown in the 1990 two-episode miniseries, and many have doubted if anyone could ever be as scary as he was. Well, New Line is going to film a new adaptation of Stephen King’s It later this year, and they’ve finally found someone who will take on the task of trying to fill some very big shoes.

Making things even better is that the majority of the members of The Losers Club have now been cast as well for the two-part film.

According to The Hollywood Reporter, Bill Skarsgard has been cast in the lead role of Stephen King’s It which will be directed by Andy Muschietti (Mama). Skarsgard is most known as one of the stars of Hemlock Grove so he’s no stranger to the world of thrillers and horror.

THR states that Skarsgard is now in final negotiations to join the horror film which will begin shooting later this year for a release in the fall of 2017. A couple of months ago, it was also revealed that It is going to be rated-R which gives the team a lot more to work with as the original film had to be edited for TV.

Even though it was made-for-TV, the original It is often referred to as one of the most frightening films of all time.

Along with the announcement of Skarsgard playing Pennywise, a number of other cast members were also revealed on Thursday. Playing those in The Losers Club will be Jack Dylan Grazer, Wyatt Oleff, Jaeden Lieberher, Chosen Jacobs, Jeremy Ray Taylor, and Finn Wolfhard. As Consequence of Sound reports, that pretty much makes up the whole team except for the role of Beverly Marsh.

As of now, there is no word on who will play their adult counterparts in the second film.

Stephen King’s It tells the story of a group of friends who band together as children to face their greatest fears in life. Those fears end up taking on the form of Pennywise the Clown who always tries to entice them into situations that will allow him to get the better of them and take their lives.

In the second part of the 1990 miniseries, the group, known as The Losers Club, have all grown up and are adults living their own lives. That is when Pennywise returns, and they all must honor the pact they made so many years ago to head back and face their fears once more.

King’s novel actually jumps back and forth between childhood and present day, while the miniseries told the story in two straight parts. Producer Roy Lee has said that the R-rated film will be more of a straightforward adaptation of King’s book but in the same format of the miniseries.

“It is very close to the source material in one way but very different if you look at it as a literary piece of work… We’re taking it and making the movie from the point of view of the kids, and then making another movie from the point of view of the adults, that could potentially then be cut together like the novel. But it’s gonna be a really fun way of making this movie.”

The legendary Cary Fukunaga was originally set to direct the new adaptation of Stephen King’s It, but he ended up leaving the film over “creative differences.” During that time, Will Poulter was also in line to play Pennywise, but all of that has obviously since changed.

Bill Skarsgard is really going to have to nail the role of Pennywise the Clown while also turning it into his own. Hardcore fans of Stephen King’s It are going to over-analyze his every move, word, and action so New Line really hopes they have made the right decision. The cast has been filled up with rather unknowns for the most part, and that could do a lot for bringing this R-rated horror film to real life when it hits theaters on September 7, 2017.

[Image via Warner Bros.]