New footage from It, the film adaptation of Stephen King‘s popular novel, has been released. The clip debuted at the MTV Movie and TV awards.
In It, When children begin to disappear in the town of Derry, Maine, neighborhood kids band together to square off against Pennywise (Bill Skarsgård), an evil clown whose history of murder and violence dates back for centuries.
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It is based on the Stephen King novel of the same name that was first adapted into live-action as a miniseries in 1990. The film is produced by KatzSmith Productions, Lin Pictures, and Vertigo Entertainment and is distributed by distributed by Warner Bros. and New Line Cinema.
It is planned as a two-part film story, with the first installment being It: Part 1 – The Losers’ Club. This mirrors the structure of King’s novel, which was split into two parts. The first sees children encountering the mysterious and malevolent force, and the second sees the same characters being haunted by the same entity as adults.
It is directed by Andrés Muschietti and written by Chase Palmer, Cary Fukunaga, and Gary Dauberman. Bill Skarsgård stars as Pennywise The Dancing Clown. Jaeden Lieberher stars as Bill Denbrough. The cast also includes Jeremy Ray Taylor, Sophia Lillis, Finn Wolfhard, Wyatt Oleff, Chosen Jacobs, Jack Dylan Grazer, Nicholas Hamilton, and Jackson Robert Scott in supporting roles.
Production on It began in Toronto in June 2016 and wrapped in Sept. 2016.
The It movie has been in some form of development since 2009. Cary Fukunaga was originally attached to direct the film, but dropped out in 2015, reportedly after clashing with New Line Cinema over his artistic vision for the movie and budget cuts. The delay caused by Fukunaga’s departure also meant that Will Poulter, who had been tapped to play Pennywise, would leave the production.
In July 2015, Andres Muschietti was hired to replace Fukunaga, though Fukunaga still receives credit for the script. Bill Skarsgard was cast as Pennywise in Poulter’s place.
The It novel is one of the most highly-regarded in Stephen King’s long and expansive bibliography. It helped codify themes that would become staples of King’s work, including the long-lasting effects of childhood trauma, the importance and power of memories, the dark underside of small-town life, and victory through trust and sacrifice. It won the British Fantasy Award, was nominated for a Locus Award and a World Fantasy Award and was a best-seller in the united states according to Publishers Weekly.
The It miniseries was directed by Tommy Lee Wallace and starred Tim Curry as Pennywise. It was a two-episode, two-night event that aired on ABC in November 1990. It was a huge success for ABC, bringing in 30 million viewers.
It will open in theaters on Sept. 8, 2017.
More Stephen King Movie News: How Stephen King Came Up With Pennywise The Clown / The Dark Tower Trailer Coming This Week / ‘Gerald’s Game’ Producer Reveals Details About Adapting Stephen King’s Novel / Stephen King Curses Out Donald Trump On Twitter
[H/T Warner Brothers]
