Warner Bros have been developing a new adaptation of Stephen King’s clowns ‘n coming of age horror novel for a few years now – this appears to be a giant shoe, sorry step, closer with the news that the film has shifted production to the studio’s dedicated horror division. New Line made their name with A NIGHTMARE ON ELM STREET before branching out into the RUSH HOUR and LORD OF THE RINGS franchises. However with THE CONJURING and this latest move it seems they are once again becoming a bespoke home for the genre.
You may be familiar with IT via the 1990 miniseries directed by Tommy Lee Wallace (HALLOWEEN III), featuring a terrifying Tim Curry as Pennywise, the clown who lives in the sewers and lures children to their deaths with the promise they will “float”. That was split into two hefty chunks and the new movie will be along the same lines with a double feature planned. One is about the characters as children and the next how they cope with the trauma again many years later. It has its detractors, but I’m a fan of the small screen version – the creature feature denouement is far from satisfactory but overall it’s an effective ride. While I’m not sure trying to sustain the tale over more than one trip to the cinema is the best idea it could be a healthy box office move for the company. With King’s GERALD’S GAME about to be filmed by OCULUS’s Mike Flanagan and numerous others on the slate this is also a fertile period for the author.
Cary Fukunaga (True Detective) was wanted for director in 2012, though whether he would return is unclear. As for who would play the frightened fraternity of the book’s “Losers Club”, the producers are looking for talent either side of legal drinking age. The juiciest role is surely Pennywise himself – though it would be easy to suggest actors with a mix of hilarity and psychosis such as Robin Williams or David Tennant, I’m going to stick my neck out and opt for someone who was considered at one stage for another New Line icon, Freddy Kreuger… for me, Billy Bob Thornton would be the man to resurrect King’s horrendous harlequin for the 21st century.
Source: THR
