It is a 2017 supernatural horror drama film and an adaptation of the 1986 horror novel It by Stephen King. The film is the second adaptation of King's novel, following the 1990 TV miniseries.
The film is directed by Andrés Muschietti, who co-wrote the screenplay with Gary Dauberman, Chase Palmer, Cary Fukunaga, and David Kajganich. Bill Skarsgard stars as Pennywise The Dancing Clown.
The story follows seven children as they are terrorized by an ancient cosmic beast, which exploits the fears and phobias of its victims in order to disguise itself while hunting its prey. "It" primarily appears in the form of a clown in order to attract its preferred prey of young children. It deals with themes that eventually became King staples: the power of memory, childhood trauma, and the ugliness lurking behind a façade of traditional small-town values.
Plot
In October 1988, Bill Denbrough gives his six-year-old brother, Georgie, a paper sailboat. Georgie sails the boat along the rainy streets of small town Derry, and is disappointed when it falls down a storm drain. As he attempts to retrieve it, Georgie sees a clown in the sewer, who introduces himself as Pennywise. The clown entices Georgie to come closer, then bites his arm off and drags him into the sewer where Pennywise devours him.
The following summer, Bill and his friends - Richie Tozier, Eddie Kaspbrak, and Stan Uris - run afoul of older bully Henry Bowers and his gang. Bill, still haunted by Georgie's disappearance and the resulting neglect from his grief-stricken parents, discovers that his brother's body may have washed up in a marshy wasteland called the Barrens. He recruits his friends to investigate, believing his brother may still be alive. Ben Hanscom learns that the town has been plagued by unexplained tragedies and child disappearances for centuries. He is targeted by Bowers' gang, after which he flees into the Barrens and meets Bill's group. They find the sneaker of a missing girl, while a member of the pursuing Bowers Gang, Patrick Hockstetter, is killed by Pennywise while searching the sewers for Ben.
Beverly Marsh, a girl ostracized over rumors of promiscuity, also joins the group; both Bill and Ben develop feelings for her. Later, the group befriends Mike Hanlon after defending him from Bowers. All the while each member of the group has encountered terrifying phenomena in various forms; these include the same menacing clown who attacked Georgie, a headless boy, a fountain of blood, a diseased and rotting man, a creepy painting come to life, Mike's parents burning alive, and a fake Georgie.
Now calling themselves "The Losers Club", they realize they are all being terrorized by the same entity. They determine that "It" assumes the appearance of what they fear, awakens every 27 years to feed on the children of Derry before returning to hibernation, and moves about by using sewer lines, which all lead to a well currently under the abandoned house at 29 Neibolt Street. After an attack by Pennywise, the group ventures to the house to confront him, only to be separated and terrorized. Eddie breaks his arm, while Pennywise gloats to Bill about Georgie. As they regroup, Beverly impales Pennywise through the head with rebar, forcing the monster clown to retreat. After the encounter, the group begins to splinter, with only Bill and Beverly resolute in fighting It.
Weeks later, after Beverly incapacitates her sexually abusive father, she is captured by Pennywise. The Losers Club reassembles and travels back to the Neibolt house to rescue her. Bowers, who has killed his father after being compelled into madness by It, attacks the group. Mike fights back and pushes Bowers down the well to his presumed death. The Losers descend into the sewers and find It's underground lair, which contains a mountain of decayed circus props and children's belongings, around which the bodies of missing children float in mid-air. Beverly, now catatonic after being exposed to It's true form, is restored to consciousness as Ben kisses her. Bill encounters Georgie, but recognizes that he is Pennywise in disguise. Pennywise attacks the group and takes Bill captive, offering to spare the others if they let It keep Bill. The Losers reject this and reaffirm their friendship, overcoming their various fears. After a violent battle, they defeat Pennywise and it escapes, with Bill declaring that It will starve during its hibernation. Bill finally accepts his brother's death and is comforted by his friends.
As summer ends, Beverly informs the group of a vision she had while catatonic, where she saw them fighting the creature as adults. The Losers create a blood oath by cutting each other's hands and forming a circle, swearing to return to Derry in adulthood if It returns and destroy the creature once and for all. Stanley, Eddie, Richie, Mike, and Ben make their goodbyes as the group part ways. Beverly tells Bill she is leaving the next day to live with her aunt in Portland. As she leaves, Bill runs up to her and they kiss.
List of Deaths
| Name | Cause of Death | Killer | On Screen | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Georgie Denbrough | Arm Bitten Off, Dragged Into Sewers | Pennywise | Yes | |
| Betty Ripsom | Unknown | Pennywise | No | Mentioned |
| Patrick Hockstetter | Killed, Possibly Eaten | Pennywise | Partially | |
| Eddie Corcoran | Unknown | Pennywise | No | Mentioned |
| Oscar "Butch" Bowers | Stabbed in Neck by Swithblade | Henry Bowers | Yes | |
| Alvin Marsh | Hit In Head With Toilet Lid | Beverly Marsh | Yes | Possibly Survived, He Is Later Heard Groaning |
| Reginald "Belch" Higgins | Throat Slit | Henry Bowers | No | Deleted Scene |
| Victor "Vic" Criss | Throat Slit | Henry Bowers | No | Deleted Scene |
The Forms of It
Bill Skarsgard as Pennywise the Dancing Clown - An ageless, shapeshifting evil that awakens every three decades. The entity terrifies a small town's children, forcing them to fight back. Will Poulter was previously cast in the role but was forced to drop out due to scheduling conflicts, with Poulter stating, "I was when Mr. Fukunaga was directing, but the circumstances at New Line are such that a new director's attached now. Poulter continued, "I think, with all due respect to him of course, I was selected by Cary and subscribed to Cary's vision for the movie, and so I haven't had a chance to connect with that [new] director.Mark Rylance, Ben Mendelsohn, Kirk Acevedo and Hugo Weaving were considered for the role,< with Mendelsohn passing on the project, as New Line wanted him to take a sizable pay cut.< On June 3, 2016, The Independent officially reported, after final negotiations took place, that Muschietti had chosen actor Bill Skarsgård to portray the character. On portraying Pennywise, Skarsgård stated, "It's such an extreme character. Inhumane, It's beyond even a sociopath, because he's not even human. He's not even a clown. I’m playing just one of the beings It creates. Skarsgård described the character further, saying, "It truly enjoys the shape of the clown Pennywise, and enjoys the game and the hunt." He also commented "What's funny to this evil entity might not be funny to everyone else. But he thinks it’s funny On Pennywise's design, Skarsgård stated, "It’s important that we do something fresh and original for this one. It’s purposely not going toward that weird, greasy look. He also commented on being compared to Tim Curry, stating that, "[Curry]'s performance was truly great, but it’s important for me to do something different because of that. I'll never be able to make a [Curry] performance as good as [Curry]. Skarsgård also elaborated on his age, stating, "There's a childishness to the character, because he's so closely linked to the kids. The clown is the manifestation of children's imaginations, so there's something child-like about that.Producer Dan Lin spoke of Skarsgård's physical attributes: "His build is really interesting. He's really tall and lanky, and feels a little clown like in his movement. When he came in — we had a lot of different actors read, and when he came in he had a different spin on the character that got us really excited. Lin concluded by making comparisons to Heath Ledger's Joker, "You've had [Ledger] doing almost a clown joker, you've seen obviously Tim Curry as a clown. We wanted someone who created a Pennywise character that would stand on its own and Bill came in and created this character that frankly freaked us out. Javier Botet as The Leper - A rotting homeless man that encounters Eddie Kaspbrak under the porch of the house on 29 Neibolt Street. The man is one of It's forms Tatum Lee as Judith - A form/manifestation created by Pennywise, an evil entity of a woman who is Stanley's worst fear. Carter Mussleman as the Headless Boy - A form that Pennywise uses which is one of the dead kids that died in the Ironworks explosion. Jackson Robert Scott as the ghost of Georgie Denbrough - A manifestation of Bill's younger brother in which Pennywise used this form to haunt Bill while he was in his flooded basement saying continuously "You'll Float Too".
The Losers Club
Jaeden Martell as Bill Denbrough - The leader of the Losers' Club, who vows to get revenge on the monster with the help of his friends. Denbrough losing his brother makes the battle against It a more personal crusade for him than any of the others. That and his stutter is what binds him to the group and transforms him into Big Bill, the leader.
Jeremy Ray Taylor as Ben Hanscom - He was one of the members of The Losers' Club, who fought against Pennywise the Clown. Hanscom being overweight earns his place in the Loser's Club, but like all of the Losers, there are underlying facets that define him far more than his weight.
Sophia Lillis as Beverly Marsh - The only female member of the Losers' Club, who forms a strong bond with Ben Hanscom and develops a crush on Bill Denbrough.[45] Beverly's Losership wasn't defined by the fact she was abused but by her poverty. She was one of the members of The Losers' Club, who fought against Pennywise the Clown.
Finn Wolfhard as Richie Tozier - The bespectacled best friend of Bill Denbrough, also known as 'Trashmouth Tozier' due to his foul language and loud mouth that often got him into trouble. Tozier was one of the members of The Losers' Club, who fought against Pennywise the Clown. Wolfhard shared the first image of the Losers Club on his Instagram account, with the photo captioned as "The Losers Club take Toronto", showing the cast of actors who will be playing the protagonists of the piece.
Jack Dylan Grazer as Eddie Kaspbrak - He was one of the members of The Losers' Club, who fought against Pennywise the Clown.[44] Kaspbrak is the epitome of the hypochondriac, overly exaggerated by the immense amount of stuff in his medicine cabinet; a sickly boy who only feels truly well when he's with his friends. Chosen Jacobs as
Chosen Jacobs as Mike Hanlon - An African American autodidact of history, who relays the incidents of Derry's past to his friends (The fire at the Black Spot, the Bradley Gang shoot-out, and the mass-murder at the Silver Dollar.) He was one of the members of The Losers' Club, who fought against Pennywise the Clown.
Wyatt Oleff as Stanley Uris - A Jewish germaphobe with a stronger belief in the pragmatic, who's bird book and his calling of the birds is the only magic he really allows himself to believe in. He was one of the members of The Losers' Club, who fought against Pennywise the Clown.
Other Characters
Nicholas Hamilton as Henry Bowers - A 15 year old sociopath who leads the Bowers Gang, and who terrorizes the Losers' Club. Hamilton prepared for the role by studying Jarred Blancard's portrayal of the character in It (1990), and in Hamilton's words, "watched all the bits of my original character" for research. Hamilton added, through the character of Bowers, that "There's stuff that I have to do that is really creepy and the opportunity to help share my psychotic side has been really fun. Additionally Hamilton stated, "I recently did a scene where I was working with Jeremy Ray Taylor. I had to terrorize the hell out of him and get right in his face." Owen Teague as Patrick Hockstetter - A young psychopath who keeps a refrigerator full of animals that he's killed.[51] Hockstetter hides a dark, murderous secret that is in keeping with the content of It, and will probably shape his character in the film, while it was noted that Teague shares some very uncomfortable scenes together with Hamilton's Bowers. Logan Thompson as Victor "Vic" Criss - The inseparable friend of Henry Bowers, and the youngest member of the Bowers Gang, who hesitantly assists Bowers in terrorizing the Losers' Club. Jake Sim as Reginald "Belch" Huggins - The biggest strongest and clumsiest member of the Bowers gang. Stephen Bogaert as Al Marsh - The abusive father of Beverly Marsh, Jackson Robert Scott as Georgie Denbrough - Bill's younger brother and one of the first victims of Pennywise. Steven Williams as Leroy Hanlon - Mike Hanlon's grandfather. Geoffrey Pounsett appears as Zack Denbrough, the father of Bill and George Denbrough, Pip Dwyer appears as Sharon Denbrough, the caring and loving mother of Bill and George Denbrough, Ari Cohen appears as Rabbi Uris, Stanley Uris' father and mentor in the Jewish religion, Stuart Hughes as Oscar "Butch" Bowers, a racist and abusive officer of the Derry Police Department who is the father of Henry Bowers. Butch has a strong dislike towards the Hanlon family, especially Leroy, Megan Charpentier appears as Gretta Keene, a snobby and stuck-up student in Mrs. Douglas' class and a fellow classmate of the Losers Club at Derry Middle School, who lives in the richer parts of Derry who bullies Beverly Marsh. Joe Bostick as Mr. Keene - Eddie's pharmacist, Gretta's father and the person who tell's Eddie that his medicine is a placebo.
Production
Photography began in Toronto, Canada on June 27, 2016 and ended on September 6. The locations being used for It are in the municipality of Port Hope and Oshawa, Ontario, as well as New York and Maine.