2017’s IT broke box office records left, right and centre and underlined the financial viability of the recent horror resurgence. With that film’s unbelievable success under its belt, New Line looks as if they’re having no trouble attracting an impressive cast for IT: Chapter Two.
The latest names that are reportedly close to signing on the dotted line are X-Men and Split star James McAvoy, who would play the adult Bill Denbrough, the nominal leader of the Losers Club, and Inside Out and Trainwreck star Bill Hader, who would play the adult Richie Tozier. They’d be joining Jessica Chastain, who’s already confirmed to be portraying Beverly Marsh, the sole female member of the Losers Club who ends up trapped in a fairly miserable marriage.
In addition to their all-star adult counterparts, the child actors of IT (including Jaeden Lieberher, Finn Wolfhard, Jeremy Ray Taylor, Sophia Lills, Jack Dylan Grazer, Chosen Jacobs and Wyatt Oleff) are set to return as well for various flashback sequences. Not only that, but just this morning we learned that Andy Muschietti and Gary Dauberman will be back as director and screenwriter, respectively.
Not announced yet, but almost certainly returning as well will be Bill Skarsgård, whose unforgettably creepy performance as Pennywise the Dancing Clown went a long way to making last year’s film a monster hit. Surely, it’s just a matter of time now before we get an official confirmation on his involvement, right?
With the pic scheduled to begin production this July, we should learn who’s been cast as the remaining adult members of the Losers Club over the next couple of weeks. Though I have to say, they’re off to an incredible start with these first three choices and if the rest of them follow suit, then the second installment in the IT saga should more than match the scares of the first.