IT 2 Floats, Too
Tuesday, September 26, 2017 at 8:00AM 
Chris here. IT simply won't stop making money, recently passing The Exorcist has the highest grossing horror film in history (not adjusted for inflation, that is - no way Pennywise gets close to threatening Pazuzu's reign there). You would think that an announcement for a Chapter Two follow-up would have arrived much faster in this age of pre-planned sequels, but Warner Bros. just made it official: the latter half of Stephen King's massive text will come to the screens on September 6, 2019.
Director Andres Muschietti is expected to return to the sequel, which features the same characters all grown-up and returning to Derry to combat Pennywise's fated return. We can also expect Bill Skargård to come back for more clown eleganza extravaganza for his (underpraised, in my estimation) turn as Pennywise. But who can we hope to take on the adult Losers from the lively teen cast?
One name that has been bandied about is Jessica Chastain to replace the breakout actress Sophia Lillis as Beverly. Chastain has already gotten spooky for Muschietti in Mama and has remained supportive of the director, so I wouldn't consider it out of the question. Surely with the massive box office haul major names like Chastain could be more likely to appear unlike your standard genre fare - this is the makings of a major blockbuster sequel. If the film takes place roughly 27 years after the events of the first film, what ~40 year old actors would you like to see take over the IT sequel?
Reader Comments (23)
For me:
Beverly-Amy Adams
Mike-Jordan Peele
Bill-Mark Duplass
Stan-John Krasinski
Rich-Paul Rudd
Eddie-Adam Scott
Ben-Chris Pratt
I kept watching thinking OMG this is totally a young AMY ADAMS for Bev!!
So Jessica Chastain (who, at one point in her career, was the same age as me) is now a 40-year old actress? Thanks for making me feel old, Chris.
I'm too depressed to answer the question, but I'll try: wouldn't it be fun to see Bill terrorize his brother Alexander.
Amy Adams for Beverly please!
I kinda hope that they don't cast the whole club as really conventionally hot people. If tbey're gonna go out of their way to make every adult in Derry look that spooky I think I'd be peeved if all the kids grew up to be smoking hot movie stars. Let some of them not be super pretty. I like Matt's list, which has a lot of charming, average guys that aren't exactly eye-candy by film standards. Way better than people trying to cast Chastain *and* Hiddleston *and* Ruffalo *and* Tennant, all of whom are fine choices that kinda rub me the wrong way put together.
No way to Chastain,she doesn't seem the right fit in genre features,she's better at gutsy ladies with a purpose.
I think Amy and Jess are the only 2 red heads people can think of.
I like the thought of Carrie Coon as Beverley or maybe Emily Blunt,Casey Affleck for Bill,Mahershala Ali as Mike who has fallen on hard times in the sequal,Paul Rudd for Ritchie,I like Steve Zahn for Ben,Luke Evans as Eddie not sure on the others,Krasinski's a good call for Stan.
Correct on Bill not getting enough praise maybe some thought after all the hype there was less than meets the eye to Pennywise.
Amy Adams for Beverly, but I would take Jessica...
Richie -- Bill Hader
Ben -- Kyle Bornheimer
Bill -- Jim Parsons or Joseph Gordon Levitt
Maybe Alicia De Witt as Beverly?
Bia, I think Bill Hader for Richie is kind of perfect.
I'm also all for Amy Adams as Bev. What about NPH for Eddie?
Amy Adams, more like Slay Me Adams. No other option
I don't think they'll go for an all star grown up cast but if they do, Amy Adams as Beverly would be a dream as Sophia Lillis is, in some shots, her exact twin.
They look so much the same i just can't think of anyone else as Bev.... So please help me everybody !
It's as if everyone involved in the film knew that both the "adult" parts of the book AND Part 2 of the mini-series are universally regarded as underwhelming and actively tried to avoid doing the sequel until they had no alternative!
Good luck - especially now Stephen King is giving endorsements and no doubt trying to influence the direction they take! The man's favourite adaptation is The Shining (TV Version) for god's sake! He hates The Shining (Kubrick) and The Mist! IGNORE HIM PLEASE!
I have actually spent far more time thinking about this than is healthy, but that tends to happen where movies are concerned.
Bill Denbrough - Jimmi Simpson (though there are lots of reasonable choices for Bill - Adam Scott, Colin Hanks, etc. would all be very fine, but Simpson's piercing blue eyes match Lieberher's to me).
Beverly Marsh - Bryce Dallas Howard (fun though it would be to have Amy Adams, it felt more cost-realistic to have Bryce Dallas Howard. Chastain is worth considering but her presence and appearance is perhaps too regal for the character, and her eyes don't match up).
Ben Hanscom - Jesse Plemons (I cheated the age here, whereas everyone else is genuinely close to 40, Plemons is only about 30. Still, he looks like a convincing grown up version of the actor in the first flick, and the character reads as younger than the rest of them anyway).
Richie Tozier - Scoot McNairy (Not much to be said. I lean more this way than putting a fairly recognisable comedian star like Hader or Rudd in. McNairy can be realistically funny.)
Eddie Kapsbrak - Fred Savage (Another one with lots of great choices to pick from, but Savage's sensibility and quite small look evoked little Eddie to me).
Stanley Uris - Seth Green (The hardest by a country mile, since nobody quite looks like him. I went through Hugh Dancy, Paul Dano, Michael Stuhlbarg, all varieties of actors. Green is a sort of compromise choice, and there's some fun to be had since he was one of the kids in the original miniseries adaptation (as Eddie)).
Mike Hanlon - Okieriete Onaodowan (Something about Mike's frame made me think of Oak, and less like Chadwick Boseman (as many suggest). Jordan Peele is a good choice, but I'd also be curious about how Oak would pair with a big screen role, considering his fame thus far is limited to the stage).
Henry Bowers - Norman Reedus (Again, kind of a cheat. He's actually borderig on 50, but he also doesn't even remotely look it. He's more recognisable to an audience than most of my choices, but the role is so batshit he could probably slip into it. Plus, unlike in the book, the movie seemed to imply he was dead at the bottom of the well, so the character may not return. Nevertheless, Reedus' resemblance to young Nicholas Hamilton is a little too perfect for me to ignore).
P.s. Love the headline
P.p.s. Did anyone realise the bully Henry Bowers was the conflicted and angry young son from Captain Fantastic? I had no idea people could age that fast in that short a space of time.
Co-signing everyone who's mentioned Amy Adams for Beverley. In addition to the fact that the young actress looking identical to Amy Adams, it would be great for the movie buffs: in the scene where she flirts with the pharmacist so the boys can steal supplies, he notes that she looks like Lois Lane with his glasses on. Amy Adams played Lois Lane in the Zack Snyder Superman movies!
Part of me really wants Seth Green to reprise his role as Richie Tozier, whom he played in the original 1990 miniseries, so he'll play the role as both adolescent and adult.
They are going to have a hard time - the kids are amazing and the main reason the movie works
Danny McBride IS Ben
Duncan, Fred Savage is pretty inspired for Eddie. He'd need to step up the acting game though. He was god awful in the equally god awful "Friends from College."
Maybe he's too conventionally attractive, but I like the idea of Channing Tatum as Bill. Sterling K. Brown as Mike. Jessica Chastain as Beverly and Amy Adams as another character we meet (being vague on purpose). Really digging the Adam Scott and John Krasinski suggestions.
It would be unwise for them to cast a big bunch of super famous people. Anyone who has seen the film knows that while the correct casting was essential for IT, it's important to cast who's *right* rather than who's the brightest star. Also the film's budget will go up exponentially if it's full of mega-wattage talent.
One of the worst things they could do is cast an entire slate of A-list big-namers as the adults, as nothing would be more distracting to me. I'd much prefer a roster of unknowns and or underused/underappreciated performers whose presence would not be the draw itself because the movie is going to sell regardless.
TBH, I'm surprised to learn that Part 2 isn't already in the works, cast and everything! I agree that Danny McBride would be a fine grown up Ben, except wasn't Ben slimmed down as an adult? (You'd think I would remember, having just read the book for the 1st time just a year ago). Amy Adams as Beverly would be fine, LOVE the idea of Bill Hader as Richie - he was so good in Skeleton Twins, he's known as a funny guy but he's an underrated actor.
Troy -- you'd think Hollywood would learn this lesson and save money on their budgets (this movie will sell even if EVERY cast member is a complete unknown) and give hungry actors some exposure and a career boost. But they never seem to.