Pennywise the Dancing Clown, also known as The Eater of Worlds, is arguably one of Stephen King’s crowning achievements.
Much like the Boggart of Harry Potter, King’s killer clown is able to lure its victims (children, mostly) by assuming the form of their biggest fears – be it a burning mass of human flesh or, in the case of Stanley, a warped oil painting running amok. That nightmare fuel formed the spine of New Line’s recent adaptation and even now, five weeks after its initial release, It continues to rule over the global box office, and recently smashed through $600 million worldwide.
It’s no wonder New Line and Warner Bros. wasted no time before issuing the green light on It: Chapter 2. A September 2019 release date is already in place, and we understand both Andy and Barbara Muschietti are prepared to reprise their roles as director and producer, respectively. The Losers Club will be back, too, though in keeping with the dual narrative of King’s literary classic, It: Chapter 2 will feature flashbacks to the ’80s, when Pennywise was beginning to stage yet another reign of terror, much to the dismay of Derry, Maine.
As for what film fans can expect from the 2019 sequel, IGN recently caught up with Pennywise himself, Bill Skarsgård, to discuss It: Chapter 2, which will seemingly be “actively different” than the first. Not only that, but it looks certain the Muschiettis will be taking us inside the twisted mind of Pennywise in two years’ time. Eek!
The first movie worked so well at what it is trying to do, I think, and ultimately that is the kids’ story, and you sort of fall in love with these kids. And the second one will be the adult story. And I think the right way to do it is to make that movie actively different. I think there might be worth exploring sort of the psychological aspects of horror, but also maybe the sort of cosmological existence of this being. What is he, and where does he come from?
Expect It: Chapter 2 to slither into theaters on September 6th, 2019.