According to recent projections, the much-hyped It: Chapter Two is expected to do some serious box office numbers when it arrives in theaters this coming Friday. But while commercial success usually means that a horror property will keep cranking out sequels until the fans have lost all interest, Jessica Chastain and Sophia Lillis aren’t so sure that the series will make it past movie number two.
Speaking to Variety, the two Beverly Marsh actresses were asked if the murderous Pennywise will really be dead at the end of Chapter Two, and if there could potentially be room for a third installment in the saga. Chastain was the first to answer:
“I’m not giving away spoilers! It is a spoiler! Are you asking if there’s going to be an IT 3? No, there’s not.”
Lillis then responded with a less definitive take:
“I don’t think there is.”
Sure enough, Chastain conceded that a third movie could still happen, but if it did, then she probably wouldn’t be involved:
“Or if there is, it won’t be with me, and it won’t be with [director] Andy [Muschietti]. Because Stephen King didn’t write an IT 3. The book’s done… If he decides to write another chapter, great. But most likely, it’ll be another 27 years later, so there’ll be another actress.”
When asked who she’d want to play Beverly after the next 27-year time jump, Chastain offered a couple of worthy suggestions:
“Susan Sarandon? Sissy Spacek? …She’s kind of amazing.”
In a recent interview with io9, director Andy Muschietti offered his own thoughts on the possibility of continuing the series beyond Chapter Two. Though the filmmaker remarked that there’s currently “nothing on the table,” he did suggest that the Pennywise mythology leaves plenty of room for further stories, perhaps delving into the killer clown’s gruesome history.
But before we worry too much about what’s next for the series, It: Chapter Two is still a few days away from completing its journey to theaters. So far, the film’s early reactions have been somewhat mixed, but you can judge for yourself if Muschietti has delivered on the hype when the sequel hits cinemas on September 6th.