James McAvoy Says He Was Seriously Freaked Out By Pennywise The Clown when Shooting IT: CHAPTER 2
I can’t wait for IT: Chapter 2. I loved that first film so much and I’m looking forward to seeing how this second part of the story is going to play out.
James McAvoy takes on the role of the adult version of Bill and when he and the rest of the Losers Club reunite in the modern era, they will be facing off with Pennywise The Clown again. When talking about what it was like to confront Pennywise while shooting the film, he explains that he and the cast were all genuinely freaked out. He told GMA:
“He's amazing. The guy who plays the clown is terrifying. He's a lovely guy, and yet he really freaked me out. I remember standing there with the rest of the cast, all these adults, and we'd all done weird, freaky stuff. And we are all looking at each other going, 'I don't like being here. I don't like being an actor today.' He really did, he really freaked me out. I never liked clowns as a kid.”
Pennywise is a super creepy-ass character! He terrified me when I saw the original TV movie, he terrified me when I read the book, and he terrified me again when I saw the feature film version of IT. It’s good to know that Pennywise will terrify me all over again in the upcoming second chapter!
The sequel is set 27 years after the Losers Club defeated Pennywise The Clown when they were kids. As they've grown up, they've forgotten about what had happened. When bad things start to happen in Derry again and kids begin to go missing, Mike Hanlon, who stayed behind in Derry to keep watch over the town, calls up his old friends and reminds them of the promise they made to come back and stop it if it ever came back.
The movie is shooting in Toronto and the cast also includes Jessica Chastain as Beverly, Bill Hader as Richie, Jay Ryan (Beauty and the Beast) as Ben, James Ransone (Generation Kill) as Eddie, with Andy Bean (Here and Now) as Stanley Uris, and Isaiah Mustafa as Mike. The younger versions of these character are played by Jaeden Lieberher, Sophia Lillis, Jeremy Ray Taylor, Finn Wolfhard, Wyatt Oleff, Chosen Jacobs, and Jack Dylan Grazer.
It has previously been revealed that Chapter 2 will include more of the interdimensional turtle, which was teased in the first film a few times. It will also have a much darker tone to it, and it has been said that Mike Hanlon's character will be drastically changed, as he will be a junkie. You can read more about that here.
The sequel will also most likely explore Pennywise the Clown a little more. We've heard that the sequel may include elements from Pennywise's history in Derry such as the story behind The Black Spot and there was a deleted scene from the first film that was revealed that included Pennywise eating a baby. That could be included in the sequel as well if they really do plan on giving us a history of the monster. Bill Skarsgard hopes that it will explore the twisted mind of Pennywise.
The writer of the film, Gary Dauberman, also previously teased a heartbreaking ending for the movie.