James McAvoy (‘X-Men’, ‘Split’) and Bill Hader (‘Rogue One: A Star Wars Story’, ‘Saturday Night Live’) are in talks to join Jessica Chastain in ‘It: Chapter Two’ the second half of Andy Muschietti‘s adaptation of Stephen King‘s epic novel. Muschietti diverged from the format of the original book, which jumped backwards and forwards in time, and instead dedicated the entire first film to the Losers Gang as children. ‘Chapter Two’ will focus on the same characters as adults, although there will be flashbacks to their younger days, partially thanks to footage Muschietti shot during the filming of the first movie.
McAvoy is up for the role of adult Bill Denbrough, the leader of the Losers Club. Jaeden Lieberher played young Bill in the first film. It was the disappearance of his little brother Georgie that sets off the chain of events in the story. After leaving Derry, Maine, Bill became a successful author. In the novel, upon returning to Derry as an adult, his childhood stutter returns. McAvoy will be seen in the upcoming ‘X-Men: Dark Phoenix’ (co-starring Chastain) and ‘Glass’, the follow-up to the surprise horror hit ‘Split’.
Hader will be playing Richie Tozier, the group’s comic relief, nicknamed “Trashmouth.” Richie was played by ‘Stranger Things” Finn Wolfhard in the first movie. In the original novel, Richie grows up to be a popular radio DJ in Los Angeles. As a child, he wore thick glasses but switches to contact lenses as an adult. But after returning to Derry in ‘Chapter Two’ he loses his contacts after an encounter with It and, just as Bill’s stutter returns, Richie has to go back to wearing his childhood glasses. Hader’s dark HBO series ‘Barry’ has received rave reviews and was recently renewed for a second season.
Jessica Chastain has already signed on to play the adult version of the only girl in the Losers Club, Beverly Marsh, who was played by Sophia Lillis in ‘Chapter One’. Beverly was shown to be abused by her father in the first movie and as an adult, she winds up in an abusive marriage, which has consequences in ‘Chapter Two’.
Obviously, Bill Skarsgård will return as Pennywise, the horrifying clown that menaced the kids in the first movie.
‘It’ was adapted as a TV miniseries in 1990 and its adult cast was pretty all-star for the times, including Tim Curry (‘The Rocky Horror Picture Show’) as Pennywise, Richard Thomas (‘The Waltons’) as Bill, Harry Anderson (‘Night Court’) as Richie and Annette O’Toole (‘Superman III’) as Beverly. Also among the cast were Tim Reid (‘WKRP In Cincinnati’) as Mike Hanlon and John Ritter (‘Three’s Company’) as Ben Hanscom.
‘It: Chapter Two’ begins filming in July and will be released on September 6, 2019.
Source: The Hollywood Reporter
