Horror fans and Stephen King fans alike have reason to rejoice, as Pennywise the Clown will be making his way to the big screen. Coulrophobics of the world, however, may want to take a pass on this one.
According to Vulture, producer Dan Lin not only confirmed that It would be his next live action project, but that Cary Fukunaga (True Crime) has signed on to direct.
“The idea is to start official prep in March for a summer shoot,” said Lin. “Cary likes to develop things for a while, and we’ve been with this for about three or four years, so we’re super excited that he stayed with it. You guys are gonna be really excited.”
Lin has indicated that It is too “epic” a story for just one movie. Therefore, this adaptation will be split into two parts, as was the 1990 miniseries, in order to give the attention to detail it deserves. In an attempt to maintain continuity in directorial style, Lin will likely try to retain Fukunaga’s services to direct the second part as well.
The 1990 miniseries version of It featured Tim Curry in a brilliant portrayal of the horrific clown named Pennywise. Curry set the bar pretty high with his performance, so the producers will definitely have their work cut out trying to fill those big red shoes.
King has been critical over the years of how his work has been depicted in some adaptations, which is likely why Lin actually sought King’s approval for this project.
“The most important thing is that Stephen King gave us his blessing,” said Lin. “We didn’t want to make this unless he felt it was the right way to go, and when we sent him the script, the response that Cary got back was, ‘Go with God, please! This is the version the studio should make.’ So that was really gratifying.”
Hopefully there will be some casting news soon, as I’m sure most fans will likely be most interested in who will play Pennywise.