Stephen King‘s IT has already been adapted once in the form of a TV mini-series in 1990, which was quite good despite now feeling obviously dated. The story is rather brilliant and very layered, involving a group of kids who called themselves “The Losers Club”, and set in the town of Derry, Maine. The book actually covers the Club at two points in their lives, as kids and as adults, as the terror they faced together as children eventually comes back to haunt them. And that terror is in the form of a demonic clown named Pennywise, who can appear in different incarnations based on personal fears… but is anything scarier than a clown? For here at least, nope. The new film comes from MAMA director Andrés Muschietti, and focuses pretty much on just the kids part of the story, and it looks like the story is now set in the 80s, giving the whole production a sort of STRANGER THINGS vibe (which is appropriate since one of the kids is played by Finn Wolfhard who is the male lead of the popular Netflix series. Bill Skarsgård (HEMLOCK GROVE) plays Pennywise, and the other children are played by Jaeden Lieberher (MIDNIGHT SPECIAL), Jeremy Ray Taylor (ALVIN AND THE CHIPMUNKS: THE ROAD CHIP), Sophia Lillis (37), Wyatt Oleff (GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY), Chosen Jacobs, Jack Dylan Grazer (TALES OF HALLOWEEN) and Nicholas Hamilton (CAPTAIN FANTASTIC). It should be interesting to see how this half-version of the book plays, as I’m sure it could spawn a sequel based on the adults if it’s successful enough. Check out the new teaser trailer below, which like the previous one is rather unnerving, and tell us your thoughts in the comments.
New Line Cinema’s horror thriller “IT,” directed by Andrés Muschietti (“Mama”), is based on the hugely popular Stephen King novel of the same name, which has been terrifying readers for decades.
When children begin to disappear in the town of Derry, Maine, a group of young kids are faced with their biggest fears when they square off against an evil clown named Pennywise, whose history of murder and violence dates back for centuries.
“IT” stars Bill Skarsgård (“Allegiant,” TV’s “Hemlock Grove”) as the story’s central villain, Pennywise. An ensemble of young actors also star in the film, including Jaeden Lieberher (“Midnight Special”), Jeremy Ray Taylor (“Alvin and the Chipmunks: The Road Chip”), Sophia Lillis (“37”), Finn Wolfhard (TV’s “Stranger Things”), Wyatt Oleff (“Guardians of the Galaxy”), Chosen Jacobs (upcoming “Cops and Robbers”), Jack Dylan Grazer (“Tales of Halloween”) and Nicholas Hamilton (“Captain Fantastic”).