The American horror movie It, which chronicles the story of a group of children who are being terrorised by Pennywise the clown (Bill Skarsgard), has exceeded expectations with its box-office collections, earning $179 million worldwide. Director Andy Muschietti is in talks with producers New Line Cinema for a sequel, and has confirmed that the cast will include the younger kids who feature in the first chapter, Entertainment Weekly reported.
It: Chapter Two has not yet been given the official green light by New Line Cinema and Warner Bros., but writing and development has reportedly begun. The second part of the planned duology will adapt the latter half of Stephen King’s eponymous novel.
While the first installment was set in 1988-89, the sequel will be set in the present day, featuring the same protagonists reuniting as adults to end the resurrected Pennywise. Bill Skarsgard has already been roped in to reprise his role as the terrifying clown for the sequel.
Muschietti also revealed that he plans to craft a darker future for Mike Hanlon (Chosen Jacobs), than the original novel. “He’s not just the collector of knowledge of what Pennywise has been doing in Derry,” Muschietti told Entertainment Weekly. “He will bear the role of trying to figure out how to defeat him. The only way he can do that is to take drugs and alter his mind.”
Reports suggest that Gary Dauberman, who co-wrote It with Chase Palmer and Cary Fukunaga, will work on the second installment. New Line Cinema has not yet set a date for the release.