It (2017)

[dpippel]

Title: It

Tagline: Your fears are unleashed

Genre: Horror, Fantasy

Director: Andy Muschietti

Cast: Jaeden Martell, Jeremy Ray Taylor, Sophia Lillis, Finn Wolfhard, Chosen Jacobs, Jack Dylan Grazer, Wyatt Oleff, Bill Skarsgård, Nicholas Hamilton, Jake Sim, Logan Thompson, Owen Teague, Jackson Robert Scott, Stephen Bogaert, Stuart Hughes, Geoffrey Pounsett, Pip Dwyer, Molly Atkinson, Steven Williams, Elizabeth Saunders, Megan Charpentier, Joe Bostick, Ari Cohen, Anthony Ulc, Javier Botet, Katie Lunman, Carter Musselman, Tatum Lee, Edie Inksetter, Kasie Rayner, Isabelle Nélisse, Neil Crone, Sonia Gascón, Janet Porter, Roberto Campanella, Kate Moyer, Kelly Van der Burg, Martha Gibson, Jocelyn Mattka, Don Tripe, Liz Gordon, Paige Rosamond, Memo Díaz Capt., Chantal Vachon, David Katzenberg

Release: 2017-09-06

Runtime: 135

Plot: In a small town in Maine, seven children known as The Losers Club come face to face with life problems, bullies and a monster that takes the shape of a clown called Pennywise.

The first image of Bill Skarsgård as Pennywise the Clown in the new film adaptation of King's novel has just been released, and he looks pretty darned creepy if you ask me...

 

[MarkMel]

I will watch it as I've read all of his books but very few have translated well to screen.

Carrie, Stand by Me, Salem's Lot, The Shining (even though King didn't like it)

 

[dpippel]

You forgot The Dead Zone. IMO the best King movie adaptation ever.

 

[WillG]

I will watch it as I've read all of his books but very few have translated well to screen.

Carrie, Stand by Me, Salem's Lot, The Shining (even though King didn't like it)

I thought "The Mist" was great. Love The Running Man. Pet Semetary and Christine were good, though not great. Also what about Shawshank and The Green Mile?

 

[dpippel]

The film is directed by Andy Muschietti (Mama) and is shooting in Port Hope, Ontario. He's splitting the novel into two movies. The first will center on the main characters battling Pennywise as children and, if it's financially successful, part two will focus on their return as adults.

Cast members include Bill Skarsgård as Pennywise/It, Jaeden Liberher as the young Bill Denbrough, Jack Grazer as Stan Uris, Chosen Jacobs as Mike Hanlon, Owen Teague as Patrick Hockstetter, Nicholas Hamilton as Henry Bowers, Javier Botet as The Leper, Sophia Lillis as Beverly Marsh, Wyatt Oleff as Eddie Kaspbrak, Finn Wolfhard as Richie Tozier and Jeremy Ray Taylor as Ben Hanscom.

The film has a release date of September 8, 2017.

 

[dpippel]

Muschietti posted a couple of images form the start of production on Instagram...

 

[WillG]

if it's financially successful, part two will focus on their return as adults.

Surely they're shooting the two parts back to back, right?

 

[dpippel]

Surely they're shooting the two parts back to back, right?

From what I've read only Part 1 has been greenlit. Also, since Part 2 would see the return of the central characters as adults I'm sure that different actors would be cast in those roles. There's zero information out there to indicate that any such casting has happened yet.

BTW, the combined budget for BOTH films is paltry by today's standards - only $35 million.

 

[Josh Steinberg]

I was maybe kinda sorta interested in seeing this as one movie, but I have very little interest in seeing it as two movies. The point of the book was seeing the characters simultaneously in both time periods, as children and adults - separating those into two different movies seems like it would rob both parts of the story of some of their impact.

 

[WillG]

From what I've read only Part 1 has been greenlit. The combined budget for BOTH films is paltry by today's standards - only $35 million.

Well then its probably that both will get made as the first part wouldn't have to make tons of money to turn a profit. But then you probably have to wait at least 2 years for the second part.

 

[dpippel]

I was maybe kinda sorta interested in seeing this as one movie, but I have very little interest in seeing it as two movies. The point of the book was seeing the characters simultaneously in both time periods, as children and adults - separating those into two different movies seems like it would rob both parts of the story of some of their impact.

I have similar feelings Josh, but Muschietti's Mama was an interesting film and I'll give him the benefit of the doubt. I also really like what they've done with Skarsgård's look in that teaser image of Pennywise. Stepping into Tim Curry's shoes for this role is a tall order, and I want to see what he does with it.

 

[Lou Sytsma]

Love the terrorfying facelift they've given to Pennywise - creepy, clean, and uncluttered. Especially when compared to what Leto's Joker look is in Suicide Squad. Not saying Leto will give a bad performance - I just find his look too busy.

This new Pennywise looks very elegant.

As to the two movie structure - I'm totally behind it. Will be fascinating to have the build in of the first movie as an anticipation builder for the second. To keep the book structure in place with the crosscutting of the timelines properly would require two movies with a cliffhanger or one horribly truncuated one. Doing the two time periods separately allows each one to breathe more too.

Lots of set photos and a couple of clips over at Lilja's Library. Here's a link to some videos taken in Port Hope, Ontario where the movie is currently shooting. The Paul Bunyan statue is being included this time!

Between It, The Dark Tower, and the new Mist TV series these are heady days for King fans.

 

[MarkMel]

Ah I did forget some! Misery was good, as were Shawshank and Green Mile. Dead Zone was also good.

But there were many misses so that I won't have any great expectations.

 

[Dick]

You forgot The Dead Zone. IMO the best King movie adaptation ever.

I would also cast a vote for MISERY, except only for the sudden jump scare at the very end. Cheap, unworthy of Rob Reiner.

 

[Johnny Angell]

I am excavating my memory of "It" the book and mini-series. It is my recollection that King writes stuff, in particular, endings that work in a novel but are hard to realize in a movie or TV show.

When I read the book,

Spoiler

all the characters came together to defeat this supernatural monster of pure evil. I remember, I think, that the ending was quite satisfactory. The TV series not so much. Yeah, they all came together to beat the evil monster, but the monster kinda looked like a very poor FX of a large spider and was very disappointing.

To me, this was a case where my imagination triggered by King's prose was better than what was filmed. I think a lot of his fiction is like that.

 

[dpippel]

Yep, I think the ending was the major problem most people had with the miniseries. Up until that pivotal point it was pretty satisfying, particularly Tim Curry.

 

[WillG]

I am excavating my memory of "It" the book and mini-series. It is my recollection that King writes stuff, in particular, endings that work in a novel but are hard to realize in a movie or TV show.

When I read the book,

Spoiler

all the characters came together to defeat this supernatural monster of pure evil. I remember, I think, that the ending was quite satisfactory. The TV series not so much. Yeah, they all came together to beat the evil monster, but the monster kinda looked like a very poor FX of a large spider and was very disappointing.

To me, this was a case where my imagination triggered by King's prose was better than what was filmed. I think a lot of his fiction is like that.

You want to talk about a difficult ending (to "Part one of "IT")? how about when.....

Spoiler

when, as kids, right before they are going to fight IT for the first time, they all "pull a train" on Beverly Marsh

 

[Lou Sytsma]

It is fascinating how so many people trip over that moment yet deal with all the child violence.

As for the mini-series, it has not aged well. Outside of Currie's performance the rest of the series is incredibly dated and hamstrung by the standards and practices of that era.

 

[Mikey1969]

Curry's performance was great; the adult cast (looking like a rather sad Nick at Night has-been reunion) was less so.

 

[WillG]

It is fascinating how so many people trip over that moment yet deal with all the child violence.

As for the mini-series, it has not aged well. Outside of Currie's performance the rest of the series is incredibly dated and hamstrung by the standards and practices of that era.

Hey look, I get frustrated over that clear double standard just as much, but the scene of which I speak was kind of fucked up (see what I did there) and probably would have had authorities on King had it been written today.