MAZE RUNNER Star Cast as Pennywise The Clown in IT Remake
The big screen adaptation of Stephen King's It continues to move forward with the casting of Pennywise the Clown. The coveted role of of the evil clown previously played by Tim Curry in the 1990s TV movie goes to Will Poulter (We’re the Millers, The Maze Runner), which is a very interesting choice that I didn't see coming. He's a great actor, but I have no idea if he's right for the role.
True Detective director Cary Fukunaga is helming the two-part film, which follows a group of outcast kids who called themselves the "Losers Club" come together to take on the murderous monster that’s terrorizing their small town. In the process, they have to face down and battle their own personal demons.
This is such an amazing story; it's one of the best King has ever written. With Fukunga on board to bring it to life, I know it's in good hands. I trust he knows what he's doing with this casting. He obviously has a certain vision for Pennywise, and it was previously reported that he was looking for the perfect actor to take on the role. It looks like they found him in Poulter.
Sources tell Variety that "Fukunaga could not say no after being blown away by Poulter’s audition for the part and felt he was the right choice for the role." They went on to say that Poulter "is more than capable of taking on the character especially after his work on New Regency’s The Revenant, starring Leonardo DiCaprio."
The Revenant is directed by Alejandro Gonzalez Innaritu, and Poulter plays a robber who leaves DiCaprio for dead after he is mauled in the wilderness by a bear. People who have seen early footage from the film feel that the young actor is more than ready to take on a villainous dark lead like Pennywise.
Fukunaga has been very vocal in interviews saying that his most recent script will stay true to the original story while also giving the film an updated look. The first movie will focus on the protagonists of the story as kids, and the second one revolves around them as adults.
The report says that Fukunaga has scripts done and ready to go for both films, and Poulter will star in both of them. I can't wait to how this is going to turn out.