IT Chapter 2 will pick up 27 years after 2017’s breakout horror hit, IT, returning the Losers’ Club to Derry, Maine for a final showdown against Pennywise in the present day. A big cast, led by Jessica Chastain and James McAvoy, will play the adults, while Bill Skarsgard reprises the role of the killer clown. Andy Muschietti again directs a script by Gary Dauberman, adapted from Stephen King’s massive novel.

  • Release Date: September 6th, 2019 Cast: Bill Skarsgard, Jessica Chastain, James McAvoy, Bill Hader, Sophia Lillis, Jaeden Liberher, Finn Wolfhard Jack Dylan Grazer, Wyatt Oleff, Jeremy Ray Taylor, Jackson Robert Scott, Chosen Jacobs Director: Andres Muschietti Writers: Gary Dauberman (screenplay), based on the novel by Stephen King

IT Chapter 2 Has Some Big Names Playing The Adult Losers’ Club

When IT was released in 2017, the young cast (along with Skarsgard) were praised for their performances. But the movie only adapted half of King’s chilling novel. IT Chapter 2 will jump forward to when The Losers’ Club reunite as adults. Naturally, fans immediately started speculating on who could take on each role.

A firm fan-favorite from the outset was Jessica Chastain, who looked like a dead-ringer for an adult Sophia Lillis, who plays Beverly Marsh. Lillis herself even said she thought Chastain would be perfect, and Chastain was very vocal in her willingness to take the part. Director Andy Muschietti obviously listened, because Chastain has been cast as the adult Beverly.

Meanwhile, Finn Wolfhard, when asked who should play him as an adult, said Bill Hader. Muschietti has come through once again, casting Hader as Richie Tozier, along with James McAvoy as Bill Denbrough, former leader of the Losers’ Club (played by Jaeden Liberher in IT).

Playing the rest of the Loser’s Club is Jay Ryan as Ben Hanscom, James Ransone as Eddie Kaspbrak, Isaiah Mustafa as Mike Hanlon, and Andy Bean as Stanley Uris.

IT Chapter 2’s New Cast & Characters

It’s not just the Losers’ Club in IT Chapter 2, of course. Henry Bowers, the bully presumed dead at the end of IT, will return played by Teach Grant, and several new characters will be introduced. Jess Weixler will play Audra Phillips, Bill’s wife, Xavier Dolan is Adrian Mellon (a gay man assaulted in Derry and eventually killed by Pennywise) and Will Beinbrink is Tom Rogan, Beverly’s abusive partner. More casting information is sure to come as production continues.

The Young Losers’ Club From IT Will Return

Though the source material has the Losers growing up and moving away from Derry, Maine after the events of the first film, the narrative jumps back and forth between the past and present. As such, while IT was att in the 1980s, IT Chapter 2 will look at them in both stages of life. We can expect plenty of flashbacks, and, of course, the return of the original cast, including the aforementioned Lillis, Wolfhard, and Liberher, as well as Jeremy Ray Taylor, Wyatt Olef, Chosen Jacobs, and Jack Dylan Grazer.

Pennywise Will Be A Little Different In IT Chapter 2

A trans-dimensional evil that wakes every 27 years, Pennywise has already done enough to traumatize the Losers for the rest of their days. He’ll be back, though, brought to life once again by Bill Skarsgard, who played the role to perfection in his debut as the killer clown. This time around, Skarsgard is hopeful for a deeper look at IT’s backstory; how the power came into being, and how he exists. Specifically, Skarsgard would like for IT Chapter 2 to go into the mind of IT, which he describes as a “psychedelic trip.”

The Story of IT Chapter 2

IT charts the battle between the Losers and IT - typically seen in the form of Pennywise - who has gripped the town of Derry for centuries. They unite in fear, and eventually face what terrifies them head on, fighting Pennywise together. Overcoming various fears, both tangible and psychological, the group manage to defeat IT.

However, Beverly has a vision that they’ll all come back in 27 years to fight him once again. Before they all go their separate ways, the Losers’ Club make a blood oath to return to Derry if Pennywise ever comes back.

IT Chapter 2 will pick up, unsurprisingly, 27 years later, when Pennywise has indeed woken. Only one of the Losers still reside in Derry; the rest are all scattered across the globe. Mike reunites them all and they decide to kill Pennywise once and for all. With Pennywise seemingly stronger and more evil than ever, however, it’s not going to be an easy feat, and lives will most certainly be lost along the way.

IT Chapter 2 Will Still Be Based on Stephen King’s Novel

The thing that IT did very well was to focus solely on the young Losers, and not try to cram too much into one movie. That gave room for an in-depth exploration of the characters and their backstories, and further means that Chapter 2 will open with characters that the audience is already heavily invested in. King brings these characters to life so wonderfully as adults in his book, that it’s hard to see that writer Gary Dauberman will deviate too much from the essence of the story, although he might want to add his own influence, too.

For example, in the book, Mike is now the town librarian, and it is he who notices the pattern that denotes Pennywise’s return. In turn, he contacts the rest of the losers. Muschietti has already said he envisions Mike to be a much darker version than the book has. In particular, he is keen to explore the effects that staying in a small town has had on the character. So, in short, we can expect an IT sequel that follows King’s novel up to a point, yet is very much its own entity.

IT Chapter 2 Has The Same Writer and Director

IT was a runaway success at the box office, smashing records for the horror movies and changing how Hollywood approached the genre. A big part of the success was the movie’s actual quality, so it’s not surprising that Andres Muschietti returns for the sequel. Even King highly approved of the choice, and praised the completed movie.

Along with Muschietti, Gary Dauberman will be returning to write the sequel. It’s a pairing that works well; the two are said to have collaborated closely on the script for Chapter 2 and of course, Dauberman has already proven that he can successfully adapt the source material for the big screen.

Read More: Why IT Succeeded Where The Dark Tower Failed

IT Chapter 2 Is Filming Now (And Set Photos Are Already Releasing)

IT Chapter 2 started filming in June 2018, with both generations of the Losers’ Club assembled for the production. While principal photography of a movie is usually a quiet time in terms of news, IT saw a bevy of images released on social media to get fans engaged. This appears to be repeated for the sequel, with a set of Polaroids showing the new actors with their younger counterparts shared by James McAvoy, and later an image of the complete adult Losers’ Club revealed by the official social media channel.

Read More: IT: Chapter 2 Cast Assembles In First Behind The Scenes Photos

There Is Currently No Trailer For IT Chapter 2

Given that filming has only recently started for IT Chapter 2 yet, there is no trailer for the movie. But, with Fall 2019 release date, there’s plenty of time to market the movie. The record-breaking first teaser for IT released in March 2017, just under six months before release, although given the series is now a proven hit, it may come a little earlier this time.

There Is Currently No Poster For IT Chapter 2

There is also no poster for IT Chapter 2, but no doubt we can look forward to another eerie marketing campaign. This page will be updated as soon as it’s released.

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