IT: Chapter 1 (2017)

It (titled onscreen as It: Chapter One) is a 2017 American coming-of-age supernatural horror film directed by Andy Muschietti and written by Chase Palmer, Cary Fukunaga and Gary Dauberman. The film was produced by New Line Cinema, RatPac Entertainment, KatzSmith Productions, Lin Pictures, and Vertigo Entertainment.[6][7] It is the first of a two-part adaptation of the 1986 novel of the same name by Stephen King, primarily covering the first half of the book. The film featuring the cast of Jaeden Lieberher as Bill Denbrough, with Bill Skarsgård starring as Pennywise the Dancing Clown, with Jeremy Ray Taylor, Sophia Lillis, Finn Wolfhard, Wyatt Oleff, Chosen Jacobs, Jack Dylan Grazer, Nicholas Hamilton, and Jackson Robert Scott are all featured in supporting roles. Set in Derry, Maine, the film tells the story of The Losers' Club, a group of seven outcast children who are terrorized by the eponymous being emerges from the sewer, only to face their own personal demons in the process. The film is also known as It: Part 1 – The Losers' Club.[N 1]

It is the first film in the It film series as well as being the second adaptation following Tommy Lee Wallace's 1990 miniseries.[12][13][14] Development of the film adaptation begins in 2009 when Warner Bros. discussing to bringing to the big screen, with David Kajganich plans to direct, before being replaced by Cary Fukunaga. After being dropped out as the director, Andy Muschietti was sign in to direct the film in June 2015. He talks to drawing inspiration from 1980s films such as Stand by Me (1986) and Near Dark (1987). During the development, the film have been moved to New Line Cinema. Principal photography began in Toronto on June 27, 2016, and ended on September 21, 2016. The locations for It were in the Greater Toronto Area, including Port Hope, Oshawa, and Riverdale.

It premiered in Los Angeles on September 5, 2017, and was released in the United States on September 8, 2017, in 2D and IMAX formats. A critical and commercial success, the film set numerous box office records and grossed over $701 million worldwide, becoming the fifth-highest-grossing R-rated film of all time.[15] Unadjusted for inflation, it became the highest-grossing horror film of all time. It received generally positive reviews, with critics praising the performances, direction, cinematography and musical score, and many calling it one of the best Stephen King adaptations.[16] It has received numerous awards and nominations, earning two Washington D.C. Area Film Critics Association nominations, including Best Acting Ensemble. It was nominated for the Critics' Choice Movie Award for Best Sci-Fi/Horror Movie. The film won three Bogey Awards, for pulling in more than two million German admissions in 11 days.[17] In addition, the motion picture has been named as one of the best films of 2017 by various critics, appearing on several critics' end-of-year lists.[18] The sequel, It Chapter Two, was released on September 6, 2019, with covering the remaining story from the book

Plot:

In October 1988, twelve-year-old Bill Denbrough crafts a paper sailboat for Georgie, his six-year-old brother. Georgie sails the boat along the rainy streets of small town Derry, Maine, only to have it fall down a storm drain. As he attempts to retrieve it, Georgie sees a clown in the drain, who introduces himself as "Pennywise the Dancing Clown". Pennywise entices Georgie to come closer, then rips his arm off and drags him into the sewer.

The following summer in June 1989, Bill and his friends Richie Tozier, Eddie Kaspbrak, and Stan Uris run afoul of older bullies Henry Bowers, Belch Huggins, Patrick Hockstetter, and Victor Criss. Bill, still haunted by Georgie's disappearance, calculates that his brother's body may have washed up in a marshy wasteland called the Barrens. He recruits his friends to investigate, believing Georgie may still be alive. Ben Hanscom, one of Bill's new classmates, learns that unexplained tragedies and child disappearances have plagued the town for centuries. Targeted by Bowers' gang, Ben flees into the Barrens and meets Bill's group. They find the sneaker of a missing girl named Betty Ripsom, while Patrick is killed by Pennywise while searching the sewers for Ben.

Beverly Marsh, a girl bullied over her rumored promiscuity, also joins the group; both Bill and Ben develop feelings for her. Later, the group befriends orphan Mike Hanlon after rescuing him from Bowers. Each member of the group has encountered terrifying manifestations of the same menacing clown who attacked Georgie: a headless undead boy (Ben), a sink that spews blood only children can see (Beverly), a diseased and rotting leper (Eddie), a disturbing painting coming alive (Stan), Mike's parents burning alive (Mike), and a frightening phantom of Georgie (Bill). Now calling themselves "The Losers Club", they realize they are all being stalked by the same entity, which they refer to as "It". They determine that It appears as their individual worst fears, awakening every 27 years to feed on the children of Derry before resuming hibernation, and moves about by using the sewer lines, which all lead to an old stone well hidden under an abandoned house on Neibolt Street. After Pennywise attacks them, the group ventures to the house to confront It, only to be separated and terrorized. As Pennywise gloats to Bill about Georgie, the Losers regroup and Beverly impales Pennywise through the head, forcing the clown to retreat. The group flees the house and begins to splinter, with only Bill and Beverly resolute in fighting It.

Weeks later, after Beverly confronts and incapacitates her sexually abusive father, Pennywise abducts her. The Losers Club reassembles and returns to the abandoned house to rescue her. Bowers, who has murdered his abusive father after being driven insane by It, attacks the group; Mike fights back and pushes Bowers down the well, apparently killing him. The Losers descend into the sewers and find It's underground lair, which contains a mountain of decayed circus props and children's belongings, around which the bodies of It's child victims float in mid-air. Beverly, now catatonic after being exposed to bright lights inside It's gaping mouth, is restored to consciousness when Ben kisses her. Bill encounters Georgie, but recognizes that he is It in disguise. As Pennywise, It takes Bill hostage, offering to spare the others and go into hibernation if they let It feed on Bill. The Losers reject this, battling with It while overcoming their various fears. It is eventually defeated and retreats deeper into the sewers, with Bill declaring that It will starve during its hibernation. After finding the remnants of Georgie's raincoat, Bill finally comes to terms with his brother's death, with his friends comforting him.

As summer ends, Beverly informs the group of a vision she had while catatonic, where she saw them fighting It again as adults. The Losers swear a blood oath that they will return to Derry as adults if It returns. After the others make their goodbyes and disperse, Beverly and Bill discuss her leaving the next day to live with her aunt in Portland. Before she leaves, Bill reveals his feelings and they kiss.

Cast:

Jaeden Lieberher as Bill Denbrough

The leader of the group of kids known as the Losers Club, who vows to get revenge on the monster with the help of his friends.[19][20][21] Denbrough losing his brother makes the battle against It a more personal crusade for him than any of the others. That and his stutter is what binds him to the group and transforms him into Big Bill, the leader.[22] On the character of Denbrough, Muschietti stated: "Bill is like a ghost in his own home: nobody sees him because his parents can't get over Georgie's death."[23] Ty Simpkins was considered for the role in Cary Fukunaga's production.[24][25] On the description of his character, Lieberher remarked of Bill that: "He's very strong and never backs down. He does what he thinks is right and would do anything for the people that he loves."[26] Lieberher spoke of influences such as YouTube and Colin Firth's performance in The King's Speech (2010) in assisting him to develop Bill's stutter,[27] while researching and getting used to stuttering on certain words, certain syllables, certain letters and sounds.[28]

Bill Skarsgård as It / Pennywise The Dancing Clown / Bob Gray[N 2]

An ancient, trans-dimensional evil that awakens every twenty-seven years.[31][32][33][34] Will Poulter was previously cast in the role but was forced to drop out due to scheduling conflicts,[31] with Poulter stating, "I was [attached] when Mr. Fukunaga was directing, but the circumstances at New Line are such that a new director's attached now."[35] Poulter continued, "I think, with all due respect to him of course, I was selected by Cary and subscribed to Cary's vision for the movie, and so I haven't had a chance to connect with that [new] director."[36] Mark Rylance, Ben Mendelsohn, Kirk Acevedo, Hugo Weaving and Tilda Swinton were considered for the role,[37][38][39][40][41] with Mendelsohn passing on the project, as New Line wanted him to take a sizable pay cut.[42] On June 3, 2016, The Independent officially reported, after final negotiations took place, that Muschietti had chosen actor Bill Skarsgård to portray the character.[43] On portraying Pennywise, Skarsgård stated, "It's such an extreme character. Inhumane, It's beyond even a sociopath, because he's not even human. He's not even a clown. I'm playing just one of the beings It creates."[44] Skarsgård described the character further, saying, "It truly enjoys the shape of the clown Pennywise, and enjoys the game and the hunt." He also commented,[45] "What's funny to this evil entity might not be funny to everyone else. But he thinks it's funny."[46] On Pennywise's design, Skarsgård stated, "It's important that we do something fresh and original for this one. It's purposely not going toward that weird, greasy look."[47] He also commented on being compared to Tim Curry, stating that, "Curry's performance was truly great, but it's important for me to do something different because of that. I'll never be able to make a Tim Curry performance as good as Tim Curry."[48][49] Skarsgård also elaborated on his age, stating, "There's a childishness to the character, because he's so closely linked to the kids. The clown is the manifestation of children's imaginations, so there's something child-like about that."[50] Producer Dan Lin spoke of Skarsgård's physical attributes: "His build is really interesting. He's really tall and lanky, and feels a little clown like in his movement. When he came in — we had a lot of different actors read, and when he came in he had a different spin on the character that got us really excited."[51] Lin concluded by comparing the character with that of Heath Ledger's Joker, "You've had [Ledger] doing almost a clown joker, you've seen obviously Tim Curry as a clown. We wanted someone who created a Pennywise character that would stand on its own and Bill came in and created this character that frankly freaked us out."[51] Muschietti spoke of Skarsgård's Pennywise as one not to lurk in the shadows, to which he remarked, "Pennywise shows up, he's front and center, and he does his show. He has an act. So it's weird all the time, and every little thing implies a further threat."[52][53][54][55][56] Muschietti also spoke of wanting to make the sense of dread that grows in Derry part of the dread of Pennywise, to which he stated, "He's not just a character that can shape-shift, his influence is all around. The anticipation of him is almost scarier than the actual Pennywise scares."[57] On selecting Skarsgård to portray Pennywise, Muschietti wanted to stay true to the essence of the character, and Skarsgård caught his attention,[58] "The character has a childish and sweet demeanor, but there's something very off about him. Skarsgård has that balance in him. He can be sweet and cute, but he can be pretty disturbing."[59] Producer Barbara Muschietti referred to Skarsgård's Pennywise as "the ancestral clown," shunning 21st century modern clown characteristics and instead hearkening back to 18th century aesthetics with 'upgrades'."[60]

Jeremy Ray Taylor as Ben Hanscom

A shy, overweight boy with a crush on Beverly, who relays the incidents of Derry's past to his friends.[22][61][62] On the character of Hanscom, Muschietti spoke of him knowing a situation of despair, on top of the terror of It and the fear of heights, and added, "Ben is bullied at school."[63]

Sophia Lillis as Beverly Marsh

A flame-haired tomboy who fends off an abusive father at home, while forming a strong bond with Ben.[64][65] Beverly's Losership wasn't defined by the fact she was abused but by her poverty.[22][61] On the character of Marsh, Muschietti stated, "Beverly's case is of course the worst, because it's about sexual abuse on a minor."[citation needed] In an interview with Rolling Stone, Lillis spoke of Muschietti not wanting herself and her co-stars to spend too much time with Skarsgård: "We actually weren't allowed to see him until our scenes, because we wanted the horror to be real."[66] On the character of Marsh, Lillis described her as: "Kind of a tough person. She hides herself. She tries to hide her emotions and hide her feelings. She distances herself from everyone but once she has this friend group she doesn't want to let it go because this is the only friend group that she has and so she's a very strong character."[citation needed] Working with Muschietti, Lillis and he developed Marsh as rebelling against her father, with Lillis having independence with the character, while also stating, "We definitely talked about her mother, who was never there — she wasn't even in the movie, but we talked about background for the character."[67] Lillis spoke of how Beverly is someone she aspires to be, relating to her her strength, her way of facing her fears: "When I read about her, I kind of got the sense that she was someone I could definitely look up to. I would be happy if I had any similarity to her."[68][69] On her connection with her fellow co-stars she noted that the closeness of the friendships formed allowed Lillis connect with her own character: "I relate to Beverly – the way she deals with her emotions, and the way she was around the Losers. I felt that way around the actual actors."[66]

Finn Wolfhard as Richie Tozier

The bespectacled best friend of Bill, whose loud mouth and foul language often get him into trouble.[22][61] Wolfhard shared the first image of the Losers Club on his Instagram account, with the photo captioned as "The Losers Club take Toronto", showing the cast of actors who will be playing the protagonists of the piece.[70][71] He auditioned for the part of Tozier for Fukunaga's It in 2015, before Fukunaga left,[72] with Wolfhard being the only actor cast in both Muschietti and Fukanaga's version.[73] On the character of Tozier, Muschietti stated, "We don't know much about Richie's personality, because he's the big mouth of the group. But we suppose he's also neglected at home, and he's the clown of the band because he needs attention."[74] Of his character's changes from the novel to the film, Wolfhard stated, "Richie's always been the same. There's some similarities to the book and there's other stuff they added because some of the stuff that we said in this movie you can't say in the '50s."[75] Wolfhard felt that there wasn't much research required in approaching Richie: " You just have to read the character breakdown and it helps a lot to see the difference between the characters in the book, and the miniseries, as well to get a raw take on it."[76] In an interview with GQ, Wolfhard spoke of how all of The Losers bonded on set, and that the friendship has carried over: "That friendship is for real, for sure. Every time I'm in L.A., I stay with Wyatt, who plays Stanley. We hang out all the time in L.A. and wherever they are."[77]

Wyatt Oleff as Stanley Uris

The pragmatic son of a rabbi, whose bar mitzvah studies are haunted by a ghoulish woman from a painting.[22][78][79] On the character of Uris, Muschietti stated, "Long story short, there's all sorts of difficult situations, and we had the chance to tell them in a movie that faces directly those conflicts the families of the young actors were very open-minded, so we could tell the about subjects that are normally very touchy."[80] Muschietti made Stanley the son of a rabbi, which is a change from the novel, to add a bit of that sense of responsibility, while to show oppression from his father, with the theme of oppression being a recurring force in the story of the adults of Derry.[81] Oleff recalled his first scene shot being a speech at his bar mitzvah: "I had a ton of lines to memorize and they even added a whole new paragraph while we were filming. I was like, Oh boy. After a while it got a lot easier to say over and over gain [sic] it was, like, 10 hours filming that scene."[82] On the character of Uris, Oleff spoke by stating: "Stanley, in the group is the last one to believe that It is actually real because he just doesn't want to. It doesn't fit within his reality until something happens. He relates to everyone, but he's the one who tries to organize everything, but he can't. It's falling apart for him and his friends come to support him.”[83] While Oleff stated Stanley as having OCD remarked:[84] "He tries to lay everything out in his own mind pattern kinda thing. And Pennywise comes along and just shatters everything. He's definitely the most scared."[84] Uris suffers from an injury sustained at the end of Muschietti's It, to which Oleff remarks "He's been scarred, I guess you can say but Stanley is scarred mentally and physically by these marks. They're permanent, so every time he would look in the mirror he'd see it and be reminded about what happened."[83] Oleff spoke of his research into the 1980s in which his parents helped him as "They told me a lot about the '80s and what music. I've been listening to a lot of '80s music recently. That's helped me get into character. I made a playlist of what I think Stanley would listen to in the '80s."[85] Oleff also spoke of the fellowship between his co-stars and himself, where he states "I think that translates on screen. You could see the friendship we have on and off-screen. We’ve been together for so long that you can see our connection, in our characters, but also it's us connecting as humans and friends."[86] Relating to sensitivity in emotions, Oleff compared himself to Uris when stating: "Stanley tries to hide his emotions and sometimes I accidentally do that as well. So I can definitely relate to him in that way. One way to describe Stanley is like the voice of reason that no one listens to and that's also me in real life."[citation needed]

Chosen Jacobs as Mike Hanlon

A sweet, softly-spoken black boy living on the outskirts of Derry on his Grandfather's farm.[87] On the character of Hanlon, Muschietti stated, "Long story short, there's all sorts of difficult situations, and we had the chance to tell them in a movie that faces directly those conflicts the families of the young actors were very open-minded, so we could tell the about subjects that are normally very touchy."[80] When describing Hanlon, Jacobs stated that although Mike's more independent in characterization, he's still an eighties character, while elaborating by stating: "I mean he doesn't have any friends growing up, isolated, black, in the eighties, in a primarily Caucasian environment, so I think he's just got a sweetness about him."[88] On the characterization of Hanlon, Jacobs said: "Finding friends that accept him for who he is means a lot to him. So he would never betray that friendship, and I feel like I'm kind of that way or at least I try to be."[citation needed] Jacobs also mentioned: "I always say this because it's so true, Mike is the best friend anyone could ask for, just because he's been so isolated and he really appreciates friendships."[89] while stating that he was excited to portray Hanlon as: "I loved the depth of Mike, because he's just kind of a sweet, backbone type of guy. He's the guy you bring back to moms. I appreciated being able to play that character."[90] Jacobs felt that portraying Hanlon wasn't difficult as he just had to channel the best aspects of himself, while suggesting they have many similarities and some differences.[89] He brought up the element of Hanlon being one of the only African-Americans in Derry, while stating that he and the other Losers all have similar isolationism:[91] "He grew up the outsider because of racial tension, which separated him that makes him really appreciate when someone says, ‘Hey, I like you for who you are.’"[91] Jacobs highlighted the bond Mike shares with his Losers' Club friends while also stating:[86] "Pennywise is just a symbol for all the hard things that happen in life that bring people together. Of course we changed. We became more mature. Some people break out of their shells, some people retract into themselves because it's scary. This horror film is more than just horror. It's a coming-of-age movie.[86] On the experience of shooting Muschietti's film, Jacobs spoke of it as "my favorite summer of my 16 long years on earth"[92]

Jack Dylan Grazer as Eddie Kaspbrak

A sickly boy who only feels truly well when he is with his friends.[22][93] On the character of Kaspbrak, Muschietti stated, "Long story short, there's all sorts of difficult situations, and we had the chance to tell them in a movie that faces directly those conflicts the families of the young actors were very open-minded, so we could tell the about subjects that are normally very touchy."[80] The off-screen friendships began to influence the onscreen friendships, with Grazer recalling a scene where they were able to draw on their genuine feelings for one another for a particularly emotional scene:[94] We're lifelong friends now in reality and in the movie. We're shooting a scene now where Stanley or Wyatt is breaking down and we're all huddling around him crying and it's an amazing powerful scene. Because of the friendships, it's real."[94] He highlighted his enjoyment of the intense scenes he had with Skarsgård, stating: "I remember one scene after he was done choking me and stuff, he goes, Jack, are you okay? And I was like, 'Yeah! That was so much fun! I love what you're doing with the character, like let's do that again."[95][96] On his experiences with Muschietti, Grazer mentioned his usage of storyboards for scenes while also stating But to break us into character – I actually felt like I was pretty close to Eddie – we'd stick to our guns about a lot of things, we really didn't back down on our opinions."[97] Grazer spoke of his appreciation of films such as Lethal Weapon 2 (1989) and Batman (1989) that gave him "insight on how he could improvise or reuse those things as references to the time period."[98]

Nicholas Hamilton as Henry Bowers

A young sociopath who leads the Bowers Gang, and terrorizes the Losers' Club.[99][100] On the character of Bowers, Hamilton stated: "You see a lot of characters in movies who are just bullies and just there to be the antagonist and mess with the main character. With Bowers, he has so many different layers to him, with his father being the way he is and him having to live up to that."[101] Hamilton prepared for the role by studying Jarred Blancard's portrayal of the character in It (1990), and in Hamilton's words: "watched all the bits of my original character" for research.[102] Blancard spoke to Hamilton, with Blancard giving him advice on how to handle some of the "psychopathic-ness" and general meanness of Bowers.[103] Hamilton added, through the character of Bowers, that "There's stuff that I have to do that is really creepy and the opportunity to help share my psychotic side has been really fun."[102] Additionally Hamilton spoke of a scene shared with Ray Taylor, wherein he had to "terrorize the hell out of him and get right in his face."[102] Hamilton highlighted the generic portrayal bullying and the bully in "in any movie", to which he stated: "Bowers and his gang are just so much different. There's a story, there's layers, he's vulnerable at times, he's not just the dick, so I really like that. There's definitely stuff to play around with."[citation needed]

Jackson Robert Scott as Georgie Denbrough

The innocent, energetic 7-year-old brother of Bill Denbrough, whose death at the hands of Pennywise results in the next summer's events.[104][105]

Additional cast

Owen Teague is introduced as Patrick Hockstetter, a psychopath who keeps a refrigerator full of animals that he has killed;[106][107]

Logan Thompson appears as Victor "Vic" Criss, the inseparable friend of Henry Bowers;[108][109][110]

Jake Sim appears as Reginald "Belch" Huggins, the biggest, strongest and clumsiest member of the Bowers Gang;[105]

Javier Botet appears as Hobo / The Leper, a rotting homeless man that encounters Eddie Kaspbrak under the porch of the house on 29 Neibolt Street;[111][112][113]

Tatum Lee appears as Judith, one of It's horrifying creations;[114]

Steven Williams appears as Leroy Hanlon, the grandfather of Mike Hanlon who runs a nearby abattoir;[105]

Stephen Bogaert appears as Alvin Marsh, the abusive father of Beverly Marsh;[115]

Geoffrey Pounsett appears as Zack Denbrough, the father of Bill and George Denbrough;[116]

Pip Dwyer appears as Sharon Denbrough, the caring and loving mother of Bill and George Denbrough;[105]

Ari Cohen appears as Rabbi Uris, Stanley Uris's father and mentor in the Jewish religion;[116][117]

Stuart Hughes appears as Oscar "Butch" Bowers, a racist and abusive officer of the Derry Police Department who is the father of Henry Bowers. Butch has a strong dislike towards the Hanlon family, especially Leroy;[116]

Megan Charpentier appears as Greta Bowie, a snobby and stuck-up student in Mrs. Douglas's class and a classmate of the Losers Club at Derry Middle School, who lives in the richer parts of Derry.[116][118]