SPOILER WARNING: The following article contains spoilers about Stephen King's novel IT, and therefore potential spoilers for the IT sequel that is currently in development. If you have not read the book and don't wish to know certain details from it, we can't recommend reading much further.
Following IT's immensely prosperous opening weekend, there have been many conversations breaking out about the future sequel, but some of the most fun debate has been about who should play Adult Beverly. There are many, including Sophia Lillis, who want to see Jessica Chastain get the part; but there is an equal contingent that just can't get over the uncanny resemblance between Lillis and Amy Adams. Of course, the production would ultimately be lucky to get either actress, as they are unequivocally two of the most talented performers in the industry today - but given the box office success and the shoot-for-the-moon options that presents, we wonder if there might be a perfect opportunity in the source material to get both Chastain and Adams involved with IT: Chapter 2.
Specifically, depending on who winds up landing the role of Adult Beverly a.k.a. Beverly Rogan, it would be an amazing move for the IT sequel to also cast the other actress as Audra Phillips a.k.a. the woman who winds up marrying Bill Denbrough.
The reason why this would be a savvy move for IT: Chapter 2's casting department essentially rests in Bill's subconscious, and the nature of his relationship with Audra in Stephen King's novel. In the book, Bill goes through his entire adult life completely forgetting about his life in Derry, Maine and the friends that he made there, but it's clear through his significant other that he has never fully forgotten Beverly. While he doesn't make the connection himself (this is left to Beverly's abusive, jealous husband Tom), it's revealed that Audra, an actress, actually looks quite a lot like his boyhood crush -- especially her beautiful red hair. It's for this reason that finding two actresses with similar appearances would be a smart move for the sequel, and should the budget and performer interest allow, it would be amazing to see those roles go to Jessica Chastain and Amy Adams.
Sure, it's a textbook example of having your cake and eating it too, but we can dream, right?
Should the project capture the attention of both actresses, there would still be the question of who would play Beverly and who would play Audra, but the nice thing is that both roles do offer meaty material for the performer to dig into. Because of her past work with director Andres Muschietti - having collaborated with him on his directorial debut, Mama - Jessica Chastain arguably has the edge to play Bev, and she would certainly crush the character's demon-defeating, redemptive arc; but Audra is also packed with emotional strength and agency, has an important role to play in the story, and would hardly be a part below Amy Adams' impressive talent.
With IT: Chapter 2 still in the early stages of pre-production, it will probably still be a while before we hear any official casting choices, but we are certainly prepared for a star-studded affair. And if they project can properly use the clout its predecessor acquired during theatrical release, hopefully the project can find a way to properly use two stars that fans very much want to see get involved. We obviously wouldn't be surprised if only one of the actresses became involved, or even neither of them, but that's not stopping us from keeping our fingers crossed.
