If those knee-jerk reactions flooding the interwebs are to be believed, Pennywise the Clown is about to enter horror’s modern-day pantheon, and in order to drive that point home, another fan-made poster for New Line’s It reboot has surfaced today by way of Half Hazard Press (via Bloody Disgusting).
Directed by Andy Muschietti of Mama fame, It is a totally reimagined and, crucially, R-rated interpretation of the literary classic, one that splits King’s horror saga right down the middle so that the opening chapter – aptly titled It Part 1 – The Losers Club – focuses on Derry’s freaks and geeks as kids. Pushed to the fringes of society by abusive parents, bullies, and so-called friends, the Losers find solace in one another. Which is just as well considering that the quaint town of Derry, Maine is about to play host to an ancient, otherworldly entity called Pennywise.
Originally portrayed by Tim Curry in the famous It miniseries, that coveted role has now been passed on to Bill Skarsgård, and since climbing aboard, the former Hemlock Grove star has described his portrayal of the famous movie monster as “animalistic and instinctive.” Yikes!
Pennywise the Dancing Clown (AKA The Eater of Worlds) haunts theaters on September 8th. That’s little under two weeks away, for those keeping track, and it seems early buzz for It has already swept the Internet, deeming New Line’s reboot to be a “spectacular, terrifying ride” that manages to strike a balance between horror and heart. Not unlike Netflix’s Stranger Things, which actually took inspiration from King’s horror classic in the first place.
Such acclimation, coupled with those sky-high box office forecasts, means that the studio’s tentative sequel plans suddenly look like an astute piece of business. Assuming everything goes according to plan then, New Line should have the cameras rolling again early next year ahead of a potential release in 2019.
