Between earning mostly positive reviews and making over $477 million worldwide off just a $35 million budget, IT has cemented itself as one of the smash theatrical hits of 2017. Given the size of Stephen King's original novel, there was always the plan to adapt the second portion of the tale for the big screen as well, but following the incredible performance of the first movie, IT 2 is now a sure thing. In case you need further proof of that, Warner Bros and New Line have officially scheduled the sequel to float into theaters on September 6, 2019.
It would appear that IT 2 will be sticking with the "If it ain't broke, don't fix it" phrase by remaining a September launch as opposed to moving to a different month. Given how popular IT has been, one couldn't fault Warner Bros or New Line if they had decided to move IT 2 to the summer, spring or even winter. But let's not forget that September is usually a less exciting month for movies, which is almost certainly part of the reason that IT has been so successful. Because there's less competition that time of year, keeping the sequel in familiar territory will better ensure a similar critical and commercial performance. So far IT 2 is the only movie scheduled to open that weekend, with the only other remaining September 2019 movies on the calendar right now being The Angry Birds Movie sequel on September 20, as well as Everest and an untitled Warner Bros "event" film on September 27.
In addition to staying in September, IT 2 is also bringing back many of the behind-the-scenes talent from the first movie. Gary Dauberman, one of the IT screenwriters, will pen the sequel, and producers Barbara Muschietti, Roy Lee, Dan Lin, Seth Grahame-Smith and David Katzenberg are expected to return as well. As for director Andy Muschietti, while he has been crafting IT 2's story for several months, THR reports that he's still "waiting in the wings" to helm the sequel.
IT adapted the portion of Stephen King's 1986 tale where The Losers Club, a group of outcast kids, bonded with one another and combated the shapeshifting entity, chiefly known as Pennywise the Dancing Clown, that's lurked in their hometown for centuries. IT 2 will follow the main protagonists as adults when they return to Derry, Maine to defeat Pennywise once and for all. Aside from Bill Skarsgard reprising Pennywise and IT's young stars appearing in flashbacks, no actors for the sequel have been announced yet (although there has been interest in Jessica Chastain playing the adult Beverly Marsh).
Stay tuned to CinemaBlend for more updates on IT 2's progression. In the meantime, you can still check out IT in theaters, and don't forget to browse through our 2017 movie premiere guide to find out what other cinematic offerings are coming for the remainder of the year.
