It Chapter Two (2019)
- Andy Muschietti originally wanted a completely different ending for the film, but test audiences preferred the one we see today.
- The original script for It Chapter Two was written over a decade before production finally began in 2019.
- Many of the practical effects used in the climax were achieved without any CGI.
It Chapter Two is a 2019 American supernatural horror film directed by Andy Muschietti, the sequel adapting the adult timeline of Stephen King's novel. Twenty-seven years after the events of the first film, the Losers' Club β now adults played by Jessica Chastain, James McAvoy, Bill Hader, Isaiah Mustafa, Jay Ryan, Andy Bean, and James Ransone β are called back to Derry, Maine when Pennywise the Clown returns to feed. The adults must overcome amnesia about their childhood trauma and confront their deepest fears to destroy It once and for all through an ancient ritual.
Bill Hader's performance as the adult Richie Tozier was the film's most acclaimed element, bringing both the character's comedic shield and a newly revealed personal secret that added unexpected emotional depth. The film's exploration of how childhood trauma follows people into adulthood and how returning to the site of that trauma can trigger both terror and healing resonated beyond its horror premise. Bill SkarsgΓ₯rd's Pennywise remained effectively terrifying, though the creature's expanded shapeshifting abilities sometimes tipped into CGI excess.
It Chapter Two earned $473 million worldwide on a $79 million budget.
