Warning: SPOILERS for IT Chapter Two are ahead!
IT Chapter Two is in the middle of its second full week in theaters, and while it hasn’t received the same amount of positive critical reception as its predecessor, it’s nonetheless been doing incredibly well at the box office, grossing over $323 million worldwide so far.
While you’d think that the cinematic IT saga is over since the two movies adapted Stephen King’s massive tome, Bill Skarsgård, the actor who brought the terrifying Pennywise to life, says he and director Andy Muschietti have already began talking about a potential IT 3. As Skarsgård put it:
Andy and I have discussed ideas for what a third movie would look like. I don't think it's quite what people expect. It's something different. The first two stories are the book, and the second film is the end of that story. So we would do something quite literally off book. There are a few ideas floating around. I feel like I've done what I can with the incarnation of Pennywise as we know of him, so I think it would be a cool idea to change up a few things. So, without going into too much detail, there is a story that we're kind of excited about, but it's way too early to say. But we'll see, we'll see.
IT 3 would certainly be delving into uncharted waters. Though there were plenty of differences between the IT movies and its printed page source material, overall these cinematic adaptations covered the main beats of the popular Stephen King take that was previously told as a TV miniseries. So if a third IT movie were to move forward, it’d be up to Bill Skarsgård, Andy Muschietti and Gary Dauberman (assuming he wanted to contribute to the threequel too) to come up with an original and compelling story.
That said, it’s unlikely that IT 3 would be a direct follow-up to IT Chapter Two, thus making this saga a standard trilogy. For one thing, Pennywise is defeated at the end of the sequel, and unlike the last time the members of the Losers faced him, this time the creature won’t be coming back. Even if there was a way to bring back the shapeshifting creature, the Losers Club is now down two members and have moved on their lives, so one can presume that none of those surviving characters would return.
Keeping that in mind, IT 3 would probably be a prequel that explores Pennywise’s origins, whether it’s thousands of years ago, or just a couple decades or centuries ago. That would allow Bill Skarsgård the opportunity to tackle a different “incarnation” of Pennywise and expand upon the character without undoing his ultimate fate. That would still be a difficult creative endeavor, but I imagine Skarsgård and Andy Muschietti are up to the challenge.
For now, IT 3 is just being discussed, as Bill Skarsgård informed JoBlo, and there’s nothing officially in the works just yet. Though if IT 3 does move forward, we’ll be sure to let you know. At the very least, a third movie in this horror series allows Skarsgård to obtain more Pennywise toys to put in his daughter’s room.
IT Chapter Two is still playing in theaters, and IT can be purchased on Blu-ray, DVD and Digital HD. Andy Muschietti also recently revealed that there’s a good chance an IT supercut, i.e. the two movies edited together with some deleted material, could be released down the line.
If you’re curious about what other movies are coming out for the rest of the year, check out our 2019 release schedule.
