New Line Officially Commits To R Rating For Its Adaptation Of Stephen King’s It

“It’s a scary clown trying to kill kids. If you’re going to make a ‘Rated-R movie’, you have to fully embrace what it is, and you have to embrace the source material.” That’s producer Dan Lin discussing It in a previous interview concerning New Line’s adaptation and, more specifically, its approach to Stephen King’s horror classic.

That fabled R rating has proven to be a constant point of fixation for those fans eagerly awaiting It‘s release in September, and in order to put any lingering doubts to rest, the official MPAA rating has been unearthed by the folks over at Bloody Disgusting. Spoilers: It will light up theatres on September 8th with an R rating, with the official classification citing “violence/horror, bloody images, and strong language.”

Orchestrating that nerve-racking thrill ride from behind the lens is Andy Muschietti (Mama), who has spent much of the film’s production posting incremental status updates via Instagram – creepy set photos, close-ups of Bill Skarsgård’s otherworldly demon, and posters of the film itself. That steady stream of content will likely continue right up until the movie’s release, and knowing that Muschietti has been given the freedom of working on an R rating is music to our ears.

Casting-wise, Stranger Things breakout Finn Wolfhard is attached to the part of Richie Tozier, who spearheads a Losers Club comprised of Bill Denbrough (Jaeden Lieberher), Ben Hanscom (Jeremy Ray Taylor), Stan Uris (Wyatt Oleff), Mike Hanlon (Chosen Jacobs), Eddie Kaspbrak (Jack Dylan Grazer) and Beverly Marsh (Sophia Lillis).

It Part 1 – The Losers Club will creep into theatres on September 8th, before a second, conclusive chapter in New Line’s adaptation – one which picks up years after the fact, at a time when the Losers Club tackle Pennywise as adults – arrives the following year.