It Chapter Two director Andy Muschietti has spoken about a big change they made to Stephen King's original book.
The plan was always to do a two-part adaptation of King's IT, but while they didn't do any preparation for the sequel when making the first movie, Muschietti told Digital Spy that they did set up a key plot point.
"There were open windows. Sort of like balls thrown forward to be caught later, in a way. And you see that in the Deadlights," he explained of the first movie.
"I knew there was something that I wanted to do without being totally focused or defined about Beverly being in the Deadlights. That really paid off at the end, when we caught it, and actually made it the reason why the Losers have to stay in town, actually."
In the sequel, Beverly tells the Losers Club that after her experience with the Deadlights at the end of It Chapter One, she knows that they will die if they leave Derry and don't stop Pennywise.
"It's something that, in the book, is much looser. We generated a reason – a credible reason – for the Losers to stay, which is basically: if they go, they will die. Which is something that doesn't happen in the book," Muschietti continued.
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As well as splitting the book's dual timelines for the two movies, It Chapter Two – like the first movie – makes some other changes from King's book, but it had to be done because the structure of the book is "looser".
"All the events happen in a longer amount of time. They’re not necessarily consequential. All of that, you have to achieve in a film narrative. Everything has to be very tight," Muschietti said.
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"You have to tell a story that is increasingly tense, and there’s a structure that is a completely different problem of a literary narrative. So it's a translation in the language.
"And in that translation, it's quite easy to see what you can't use – you know? – and what you have to reinvent. So all the licenses and all the, you know, detours that we took, and the departures from the story, are very functional."
It Chapter Two is in cinemas on September 6.
Funko Pop! IT Pennywise with Wrought Iron EXC Pop! Vinyl Figure
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Funko Pop! IT Pennywise (Classic Black & White) EXC Pop! Vinyl Figure
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Movies Editor, Digital Spy Ian has more than 10 years of movies journalism experience as a writer and editor. Starting out as an intern at trade bible Screen International, he was promoted to report and analyse UK box-office results, as well as carving his own niche with horror movies, attending genre festivals around the world. After moving to Digital Spy, initially as a TV writer, he was nominated for New Digital Talent of the Year at the PPA Digital Awards. He became Movies Editor in 2019, in which role he has interviewed 100s of stars, including Chris Hemsworth, Florence Pugh, Keanu Reeves, Idris Elba and Olivia Colman, become a human encyclopedia for Marvel and appeared as an expert guest on BBC News and on-stage at MCM Comic-Con. Where he can, he continues to push his horror agenda – whether his editor likes it or not.
