Stephen King is not known for handling sexual content with the utmost delicacy. Sure, there are exceptions – Tommy and Sue finally getting together in Carrie or Dead Zone, which carves out a delicate little moment for lead heroes Johnny Smith and Sarah.
With It though, it’s a totally different story. King’s horror classic has stood the test of time for its engrossing story of friendship, coming-of-age drama and shapeshifting entities from another dimension, as the Losers Club go up against an otherworldly, child-hunting demon named Pennywise. But in repackaging It for the big screen, New Line and director Andy Muschietti (Mama) seem to have nixed the novel’s somewhat controversial pre-teen sex scene – and that’s despite the recently confirmed R rating.
First reported by Screen Geek, it appears that while those scenes were present in early versions of Cary Fukunaga’s original script, most, if not all of It‘s sexual content has been left by the wayside. Disgusted parents voiced their disdain toward the original script on a casting forum for young actors, with one post stating that:
I don’t remember it being anything more than suggested in the original either. But it goes farther than that in this script. Much farther in a couple scenes, the father kissing her bare stomach, hands up her skirt to slip off panties, in addition, she describes being gang raped to another character. Add it all up and it’s just too much for us. We were so excited when we got it, but there was a pretty hefty email from agent to read the script and approve before agreeing due to content.
The original script purportedly went so far as to include a scene in which Henry Bowers raped a Hanlon sheep and “masturbated onto a birthday cake,” so it’s little wonder why New Line decided to tone things down during the film’s production. On that same casting forum, another parent was particularly critical of the proposition.
This is just gross. And I’m not talking about the content… I’m talking about directors/producers who want to hire underage actresses to make out with creepy old men.
It creeps into theatres on September 8th and will be the first in a two-part saga involving the Losers Club and their battle against Pennywise. Providing the box office numbers are to New Line’s liking, the second and conclusive chapter will be unleashed sometime in 2018.
