The upcoming remake of Stephen King’s It has found its Pennywise and it’s none other than The Maze Runner star, Will Poulter.
According to Variety, the 22-year-old actor has signed on for the most iconic role in horror movie history… the evil, killer clown, Pennywise.
“Sources tell Variety that Will Poulter (‘We’re the Millers’) is in negotiations to play Pennywise, the evil monster who lured in children disguised as a clown, in the upcoming remake of Stephen King’s horror classic.”
Of course, Poulter is perhaps most famous for his recent role in The Maze Runner and his breakout role in Son of Rambow. And now the young British actor is set to appear as one of the biggest horror icons of all time – last played by Tim Curry in the 1990s TV mini-series.
Directed by Cary Fukunaga, the upcoming remake will be split into two parts, much like the mini-series… and he promises that it will be as close to the books as possible. Quite a task, given the length of the original Stephen King novel.
The screenplay has been penned by Fukunaga, along with Chase Palmer. Seth Grahame-Smith and David Katzenberg will produce through their KatzSmith company, while Dan Lin and Roy Lee are also on board to produce.
But most importantly, can Poulter really pull it off?
If you ask me, it’s a rather difficult role for such a young actor.
Following in the footsteps of Tim Curry is no small feat, and at the age of just 22, I can’t help wondering if he quite has the chops to pull it off.
That’s not to say that Poulter isn’t a fantastic actor – we’ve already seen him turn plenty of heads. But can he portray himself to be suitably menacing for the role of Pennywise?
“Sources say in the end, Fukunaga could not say no after being blown away by Poulter’s audition for the part and felt he was the right choice for the role.”
For now, we’ll have to wait and see. But it certainly sounds promising.
Do you think It really needs a remake? Could Will Poulter be perfect for the role of Pennywise? Let us know what you think in the comments below…
