The 80’s are back in a big way and filmmakers are capitalizing on it. Remakes and reboots of our favorite horror films and series are being announced left and right, including ‘Friday the 13th‘, ‘A Nightmare on Elm Street‘. Let’s not forget ‘IT’. The reboot is still shrouded in secrecy, but thanks to one of its producers we now know a little more.
Back in June we got our first look at Bill Skarsgard as Pennywise in ‘IT’. But fans have been wondering what to expect from the new version. ‘IT’s producer Dan Lin recently gave Collider a few hints during the TCA Summer Presentation.
I think a great analogy is actually Stranger Things, and we’re seeing it on Netflix right now,” Lin told Collider. “It’s very much an homage to ’80s movies, whether it’s classic Stephen King or even [Steven] Spielberg. Think about Stand by Me as far as the bonding amongst the kids. But there is a really scary element in Pennywise.”
Lin continued on to discuss casting Bill Skarsgard as the demonic clown that was originally (and fantastically) played by Tim Curry.
His build is really interesting. He’s really tall and lanky, and feels a little clown like in his movement. When he came in – we had a lot of different actors read, and when he came in he had a different spin on the character that got us really excited. You’ve had Heath Ledger doing almost a clown joker, you’ve seen obviously Tim Curry as a clown. We wanted someone who created a Pennywise character that would stand on its own and Bill came in and created this character that frankly freaked us out.
I am glad to learn that the reboot will not be an exact remake. Tim Curry’s Pennywise can not be duplicated. But I am open to seeing the creepy clown played from a different approach. Hopefully Skarsgard will take the entity in a darker direction, though the original Pennywise did scare me right into a lifelong fear of clowns. As for the ’80s style, I think it is a great idea. A present day approach might not have the same effect on viewers.
‘IT’ has entered production with Andres Muschietti in the director’s chair. The film will open in theaters nationwide on September 8, 2017. In the mean time, take a stroll through Derry by checking out our article featuring photos of ‘IT’s filming locations.
