Thor: Ragnarok may have been elected as the headline star of Empire’s latest issue, but there’s much more material lurking beneath those vibrant covers – or monochromatic cover, if you happen to be a subscriber.
Case in point: Andy Muschietti and New Line’s upcoming It reboot, which is exactly one month out from its long-awaited debut. Dubbed to be a “no-holds-barred” adaptation of Stephen King’s nightmarish tome, after Tommy Lee Wallace’s miniseries, Muschietti’s horror flick will herald Pennywise’s first ever appearance on the big screen. And whereas Tim Curry famously brought King’s transdimensional demon to life, terrorizing TV viewers in the process, Muschietti and New Line have placed Bill Skarsgård (Hemlock Grove) in the oversized clown shoes of Pennywise.
Skarsgård has set the bar high, too, after the actor revealed to Empire that he hopes to scare a “whole generation” with his “animalistic and instinctive” Pennywise. Eek!
In order for this movie to be as effective as the book and the series, I have to scare a whole generation. My take was that Pennywise functions very simply. Nothing much is going on in terms of what he’s thinking — he’s animalistic and instinctive.
Asked if his performance as Pennywise left any lasting impression (read: recurring nightmares) on his psyche, Bill Skarsgård admitted that, yes, King’s killer clown stalked his dreams for a fortnight.
It’s funny. I went back to Stockholm after we wrapped, and every night for two weeks, I had these strange recurring Pennywise dreams. I was him, but I was in the wrong setting, somehow. I was upset that people could see my face. It was surreal. I can’t explain it.
Angled to be the first chapter in a two-part Pennywise saga, It Part 1 – The Losers Club has been earmarked for release on September 8th, and if it’s a 4-minute exclusive preview you’re after, you’d be best booking tickets to see Annabelle: Creation this coming weekend. It’s the latest chapter in New Line’s ever-evolving Conjuring universe, and it’s coming from the creative mind overseeing the development of the “fun, lighthearted” Shazam movie at Warner Bros. and DC.
