Andres Muschietti's IT continued to bank huge box office numbers, posting a staggering $60 million in its second weekend to push its cume over $218M domestically. The movie is crushing, meaning that IT Chapter 2 isn't a mystery... it's a given. A matter of when, not if. We have been having a lot of fun discussing celebrity casting of the Losers' Club, who will be adult characters in the sequel. But the most chatter has swirled around Beverly, who is portrayed by Sophia Lillis in IT, and has many speculating who could fill her shoes in the anticipated sequel.
Sophia Lillis has her own Fantasy Casting for Older Bev, knowing that the young actress still will be in scenes in IT Chapter 2 (as the producers have said they will use flashbacks in the movie to fill in more backstory from the novel). We'll touch on Lillis' choice for Adult Beverly in our rundown. But if we could Dream Cast this role for Andres Muschietti's IT Chapter 2, these are the five actresses we'd have on speed dial.
Amy Adams
There's a joke scene in IT where Bev, as a means of distracting a creepy pharmacist so the Losers can steal medical supplies, borrows eyeglasses and pretends to be sexy. In the moment, she is compared to Lois Lane... making us think, temporarily, of the current on-screen Lois Lane, Amy Adams. That's not what sold us, though. It's the eyes. Look at Sophia Lillis when the Losers are swimming in the quarry, and she's glancing at Bill (Jaeden Lieberher). Her saucer eyes are identical to Adams -- and you know that the Oscar five-time Oscar nominee would bring the right amount of pedigree and pathos to this important role.
Jessica Chastain
This is Sophia Lillis' choice to fill her own shoes in the role of Beverly. And why not? Jessica Chastain is an incredible actress who has mixed horror roles into her dramatic profile. She even has a leg up over the competition, having worked with director Andres Muschietti on the 2013 horror-thriller Mama. When IT opened, Chastain Tweeted her support for the movie and her former collaborator. For all we know, he has placed a call into his one-time leading lady, asking her to lend support to IT Chapter 2 in the crucial role of Bev.
Elizabeth Olsen
I'm back on the eyes, and how they are windows into the damaged soul of Beverly Marsh. One thing that the older Losers are going to have to sell on screen is the emotional toil that living with their IT encounter has played on their minds and hearts. They survived the battle, but it messed with their psyche. Olsen resembles Sophia Lillis (they both have beautiful eyes), and has made a habit of playing damaged loners in movies like Martha Marcy May Marlene and Oldboy (as well as horror in Silent House and Red Lights). Olsen's versatile, with big-budget Marvel experience. But she's more of a character actress who'd be an offbeat but interesting choice for Beverly in IT Chapter 2.
Bryce Dallas Howard
Jurassic World put Bryce Dallas Howard on the map (even though she had been acting for years, and had hits in The Village and Spider-Man 3). Suddenly, she's looked at an actress who can help open a movie, or contribute to a blockbuster movie that has the right ensemble. Casting is crucial to IT Chapter 2, but so is the idea of keeping down costs. While everyone is trying to fill the adult Losers' Club with awards-worthy A-listers, it's in Warner's best interest to keep the sequel's budget in check, knowing that the brand is going to lure audiences back to see what happens next. Howard would give an excellent performance, and likely fit into any sort of ensemble that Muschietti assembles. She'd also make an excellent Audra, Bill's wife whose supposed to look exactly like Bev, his first true love.
Molly Ringwald
The answer was given IN the movie. Because Andres Muschietti moved the action of his Young Losers up from the 1950s (as it was in Stephen King's novel) to the 1980s, one of the kids cracks a "timely" joke about Bev (Sophia Lillis) being the Molly Ringwald of their tight-knit crew. So what could they do once the action has fast-forward 27 years? Cast the actual Molly Ringwald as Adult Beverly. The Pretty in Pink icon recently had a stint on Riverdale, and has three movies on her slate for 2018. This would be her highest-profile gig in some time, and it might be considered a little too meta for some audiences. But the more I think about it, the more I love the pick. Make it happen, Andres Muschietti!
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