It: Chapter Two hit theaters this past weekend accompanied by incomparable fanfare. After all, the first film floated up, up and away to inflated critical infatuation and incredible box office business, resulting in an instant genre phenomenon. It’d be tough for any sequel to live up to that and unfortunately, the new horror flick failed to replicate the darkness, sincerity, and clown-about terror of 2017’s horror juggernaut.
Still, even despite mixed reviews from critics and some pretty negative reactions online, Chapter Two managed to make a healthy sum of money in its opening weekend in theaters. But will it be enough to convince Warner Bros. execs to explore the franchise further? That remains to be seen, but Pennywise actor Bill Skarsgård is certainly down for more, with the star saying the following to EW when asked about another installment:
“It would have to be the right type of approach to it. The book ends where the second movie ends, so that is the final chapter of this story. There is this interesting aspect of going back in time before all this happened. There might be a story there that might be worth exploring. Obviously that would be a story that’s not in the book, it would be a freestanding story, but obviously within the same universe. So, there might be something interesting out of it. I think it would be fun.”
It’s nice to hear that Skarsgård is open to returning to the role, and it seems director Andy Muschietti is on the same page, recently telling i09 that while there’s “nothing on the table” right now, the Pennywise mythology leaves plenty of room to tell additional stories, as future movies could easily explore the killer clown’s gruesome history, among other things.
But even if a third film does end up happening, we’ll likely be waiting a while to see it, as Muschietti is about to begin production on a standalone Flash movie for DC, which certainly needs a capable director after several years of production problems. After he’s done with that, though, perhaps he’ll be able to tempt Warner Bros. into returning to Derry, Maine for It: Chapter Three?
