It may be one of the most anticipated horror sequels ever, and you won’t have to wait much longer to see it. It Chapter Two hits theaters on September 6 (sign up for a FanAlert to learn when tickets will go on sale), and it will bring with it a wildly freaky conclusion to a two-part horror epic that’s already smashed box office records (the first It is currently the highest grossing horror movie of all time).
This week, the film debuted a brand-new trailer at San Diego Comic Con, and Fandango was lucky enough to sit down with director Andy Muschietti to break it all down. “The intensity in the opening of this film is probably comparable to the first one,” Muschietti said while discussing the sequel’s opening sequence. Below, we talk about the difference between the two films, and why Pennywise is a far greater threat to the group this time around. Plus, who was the easiest to cast, and who was the hardest? What’s up with that funky carnival sequence? What does Stephen King think of the new movie? And does Chapter Two leave any room for a Chapter Three?
Check out the trailer below, then let’s get into it…
Fandango: In the sequel, how much of the kids will we see versus the adults?
Andy Muschietti: I wanted to re-establish the dialogue between the two timelines, and that is so important in the book. So, in the first movie, it's all about the kids, which is something I liked a lot, because you could really bond with these characters without interfere in the time jumps and stuff. But the second one, I really wanted to get that dialogue back, which is something that was so great in the book. You know, it was a bit of a challenge of how to integrate those memories into main plot. [Most of the scenes with the kids] are new, though some parts are from the first movie because we needed to remind the audience what part of the story we were using a base. So, yeah, that was a challenge [in terms of] how to integrate, and we find a way to go to the flashbacks as a means to basically move the story forward. There’s never a moment in one of those flashbacks where you want it to end because you want to get back to the story.
Fandango: We see Mike (Isaiah Mustafa) talking about remembering more than the others. Can you talk about the rules of this universe when we pick up 27 years later?
Andy Muschietti: Yes, that is very much taken from the book. The farther you get away from Derry, the more you forget. Mike never left, so that’s why he remembers. He remembers everything. Mike stayed in Derry and he’s been doing research for all these years. There’s another layer to that in the movie, but he’s the one who summons the group 27 years after the event that we know because another event occurs. He was expecting that, otherwise he wouldn’t have done all that work.
Fandango: We see the group together at the Chinese restaurant, which is their first time together in the movie. Talk about casting – who was hardest to cast, and who was the easiest?
Andy Muschietti: Mike Hanlon was probably the most difficult to find. Great actors. I've seen great actors reading for the part, but I also needed a physical resemblance to Chosen. Chosen is a very particular face. Well, they all do, but for some reason I found the other Losers sooner.
As far as easiest? Jessica [Chastain]. Jessica was on my mind even when we were shooting the first movie. We have a prior relationship from Mama, and we showed her the [first] movie very early on and she liked it so much that she said 'Count me in!' almost immediately after watching it for the first time. So she was the easiest, probably, but in general, it was really gratifying that everybody we reached out to wanted to be in the movie.
Fandango: Talk about the carnival, which plays a big role in the trailer. Let’s start with your visual inspiration.
Andy Muschietti: Well, visually it was definitely a small-town fair. A small town fair with a strong presence of a clown figure. A maze was the perfect environment for Pennywise to get you into his trap.
Fandango: The glow-in-the-dark bags are great.
Andy Muschietti: I came up with those. It was a scene that came late in the game because we were still trying to figure out Bill’s journey. It came late in the process, but it was very effective. So, Bill is trying to save a kid and he follows the kid to this fair and, yeah, the bags were a process that I came up with it and then the production designer, Paul Austerberry, threw other ideas into it. We were going to do this with strong colors, and then I said, 'Why don't we do it with black lights?' It was a bit of a teamwork in that sense and it really works.
Fandango: Then we see Pennywise with his tongue coming all the way down. Is the tongue practical?
Andy Muschietti: I will say that there's a very practical element in it. Of course, there are CG enhancements all through the movie, but mainly we liked to do practical effects, unless when it's impossible.
Fandango: One of the highlights of the trailer is seeing Beverly bathed in blood, which is reminiscent of the first film. How much do you do that in the sequel – where you’re nodding to a moment in the first and almost recreating it in a way?
Andy Muschietti: Well, It torments our Losers with elements that tormented them as kids. Then there's another deeper layer of harassments from some deeper threats that we don't know of yet - you can't see that in the trailer. The blood is an element that was tremendous for young Beverly, with her becoming a woman, her period, the tampons, her father… you know, touching her. It was all cutting her hair, trying to avoid becoming a woman in front of her dad. The hair has come back to get her, so it's like blood is a very strong symbol and the journey of Beverly and the trauma. So, Pennywise basically feeds into her fear with the blood.
Fandango: Is it really the most amount of blood that’s ever been used in a one scene in a horror movie?
Andy Muschietti: Apparently, yeah. I haven’t looked into every horror movie, but the records show that we used more blood than any other movie, yeah.
Fandango: We see a shot of Bill outside the Neibolt House. How does it factor into the sequel, and how is it different for the group this time around?
Andy Muschietti: Neibolt House is still there, and that's disturbing enough. The moment we see Neibolt House, you realize nobody seems to know that the house is there. Everything has sort of evolved around it. There is still this town under the influence of a layer of forgetfulness and in oblivion. So, it doesn't really surprise anyone that Niebolt House is still there. It's still a gateway to the underworld - to Pennywise's lair - and if you want to get Pennywise, you got to go through it.
Fandango: And is it safe to say, their experience in the house this time around will be quite different?
Andy Muschietti: It is different. There are two events that happen in the house that are terrifying. Of course, Neibolt House is a tool for inviting the Losers again. So, Pennywise does it again with the house.
Fandango: How is Pennywise different in this film versus the first film? Is he more aggressive? Is he more dangerous?
Andy Muschietti: He's more dangerous because he's smarter and he's manipulative and he's a step ahead. Basically, those three things. And the fourth element is that he comes with a vengeance. It's not just random violence. He actually has a very precise interest in killing the Losers.
Fandango: Is this the end of Pennywise, or do you leave the story in a place where there could be another chapter - an It Chapter Three?
Andy Muschietti: No, this is the end, and I’m happy that it is. I love this book too much to try to squeeze a third part out of it. For now, it’s the conclusion of the story. I mean, obviously the book is full of mysteries and the story is full of mysteries that happen in the past. Pennywise has been around for a long, long time. For this two-part movie, it’s the end. We’re reaching the conclusion.
Fandango: Has Stephen King seen the film?
Andy Muschietti: Yes, he did. He loved it. The first time he saw it, he said, “This is on the same level of the first movie, so congratulations.” He was really thrilled, and it meant a lot. It was amazing.
It Chapter Two hits theaters on September 6. Sign up for a FanAlert here at Fandango to find out the moment tickets go on sale.
