IT The Actors Who Almost Played Pennywise

IT: The Actors Who Almost Played Pennywise

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IT found its new Pennywise in Bill Skarsgård, but he wasn’t the only actor in consideration to play the evil clown. Here’s who was almost cast.

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IT The Actors Who Almost Played Pennywise

Andy Muschietti’s IT had Bill Skarsgård as the new Pennywise the Dancing Clown, but he wasn’t the only actor approached for the role. Back in 1986, Stephen King terrorized readers with IT, a novel that follows a group of seven children, self-named “The Losers Club”, as they are terrorized by an evil, shapeshifting entity they refer to simply as “It”. The story can be divided in two: the first part set in 1957-1958, following the Losers as children and their first encounters with It, and the second part set in 1984-1985, where they came face to face with It one final time as the creature returns every 27 years.

IT was famously adapted into a two-part miniseries in 1990 with Tim Curry as Pennywise, It’s preferred form. Curry’s performance continues to be the source of nightmares of many, and it’s considered as one of the scariest clowns in film and television, as well as one of his best works. Coincidentally, 27 years later came the first big screen adaptation of the novel with Andy Muschietti as director and Bill Skarsgård as the evil clown. IT made some slight changes to the story, dividing it into two films and setting the kids’ story in 1988-1989 and the adults’ part in 2016.

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IT went through a bumpy pre-production process, as it initially had a different director and actor on board to play Pennywise, and when they left the project, Skarsgård wasn’t the only one in consideration to play the evil clown.

IT: Hugo Weaving Almost Played Pennywise

A film adaptation of IT had been development since 2010, with David Kajganich penning the script, and in 2012, Cary Fukunaga was brought in as director and co-writer along with Chase Palmer. Three years later, Will Poulter was cast as Pennywise, but Fukunaga left the project weeks later. Andy Muschietti took his place a few months later, and in 2016 it was revealed Poulter dropped out due to scheduling conflicts. In June 2016, Bill Skarsgård was announced as the new Pennywise, but he wasn’t the only actor competing for the role.

Hugo Weaving was reportedly the other finalist, but Skarsgård was chosen as he had the ability to play a more childlike and fun Pennywise as well as a creepy one, whereas Weaving was just creepy. Prior to Skarsgård and even Poulter, Ben Mendelsohn was offered the role, but ended up turning it down as New Line wanted him to take a sizable pay cut. Other names on the list were Mark Rylance, Kirk Acevedo, and Tilda Swinton. Though he wasn’t a newcomer, having starred in Netflix’s Hemlock Grove as Roman Godfrey and appeared in minor roles in Joe Wright’s Anna Karenina and The Divergent Series: Allegiant, IT give Skarsgård’s career a big push, and among his post-Pennywise works are the series Castle Rock and films like Deadpool 2, Assassination Nation, Villains, Cherry, and The Northman. IT had a difficult start, but in the end, everything worked out well for all those involved.

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Link Source : https://screenrant.com/it-movie-pennywise-bill-skarsgard-actors-almost-cast/

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