IT

‘It’, director Andy Muschietti’s adaptation of the classic Stephen King novel, has proven to be a surprise success at the box office. Were this any other movie, this would be good news simply by virtue of the fact that a well-made horror film was not only exceeding its financial expectations but blowing them out of the water. But thanks to the approach Muschietti and the studio took to the story – a two film adaptation in which the opportunity to adapt the second half of the story was contingent on the success of the first – that success was especially welcome as it meant fans were more likely to get the whole story.

In fact, the film’s opening weekend alone made it almost a foregone conclusion that the hoped for sequel would be given the go ahead. But now it’s official, as Warner Bros. has finally announced that the sequel has been greenlit and will be arriving in theaters in September of 2019, where the studio is targeting the same post-Labor Day window in which ‘It’ has already enjoyed massive success.

The sequel – tentatively titled ‘It: Chapter 2’ – will rejoin the characters twenty-seven years after the events of the first film. Obviously, this means we’ll be seeing a whole new group of actors as the now-adult versions of the cast, but the director himself has confirmed that this doesn’t mean we’re through with the first film’s acclaimed child actors just yet.

Per Muschietti:

On the second movie, that dialogue between timelines will be more present. If we’re telling the story of adults, we are going to have flashbacks that take us back to the ’80s and inform the story in the present day.

‘It’ is currently playing in theaters. The film, directed by Andy Muschietti, stars Jaeden Lieberher, Jeremy Ray Taylor, Sophia Lillis, Finn Wolfhard, Chosen Jacobs, Jack Dylan Grazer, Wyatt Oleff, Nicholas Hamilton, and Bill Skarsgard.

‘It: Chapter 2’ will arrive in theaters on September 6, 2019.