Mar 13 2009Pennywise is Coming Back for Me in My Adulthood
A friend recently said that what's scary about clowns is that "beneath that make-up lies the most dangerous monster of all: man." An accurate statement, but what's also scary is when, as a kid, your parents allowed you to watch Tim Curry spawn fangs while in a Bozo costume, and you grow up worrying all clowns may possess this dark power.
Now an entirely new generation of our youth will have the chance to know this irrational fear:
Warner Bros. is doing "It," tapping Dave Kajganich to adapt Stephen King's novel, with Dan Lin and Vertigo's Roy Lee and Doug Davison producing."It" centers on seven children in a small Maine town who confront the source of a series of murders in 1958 and again in 1985, when the cycle begins again.
The novel was previously adapted into a 1990 ABC miniseries.
Kajganich is also writing "Escape From New York" for Neal Moritz and New Line and "True Story" for Plan B to produce at Paramount Vantage, with Kevin McDonald attached to direct.
It's fashionable, and usually justified, to get down on remakes, but surely a new Hollywood adaptation has at least as much potential as a 1990 ABC miniseries starring Harry Anderson and The Waltons guy with the birthmark. Let's give the kids one more villainous clown, yeah?
Reader Comments
1. Liquidkarma - March 13, 2009 4:30 PM
Georgie!!
2. Bubba Gump - March 13, 2009 4:32 PM
Ugh.....but the original is already still scary as shit !
3. Bobby James McGruder - March 13, 2009 4:36 PM
"beneath that make-up lies the most dangerous monster of all: man." Gayest quote evar!
4. Count Orlock - March 13, 2009 4:41 PM
Could be interesting, but I doubt they'll out do the original.
Tim Currey was just to damn scary!
5. Dr.Necropolis - March 13, 2009 4:41 PM
Dontcha' Want It, Beverly!
6. An Angry Person - March 13, 2009 5:21 PM
Another movie to add to the recently overflowing pile of crap that is movie remakes. Seriously, is recycling ideas the only way to earn money these days?
Why does the industry have to tamper with perfectly good movies?
Its as redundant as reinventing the wheel...
7. Zyclonis - March 13, 2009 6:35 PM
"Beep beep, Richie!"
8. Pirate - March 13, 2009 7:21 PM
First, that picture totally scared the shit out of me. That movie scared the shit out of me. Second, Bubba Gump has it right, the original is already scary as shit. NO one can outshine Tim Curry. That movie still has me scared of bathroom sinks.
9. Ans - March 13, 2009 7:38 PM
"They all float!"
Did Jonathon Brandis die of autoerotic asphyxiation? I'm not trying to rag on someone who's dead. I'm just curious. He was badass in Sidekicks.
10. sarah - March 13, 2009 7:48 PM
this is only okay if tim curry reprises his role!
11. Freck - March 13, 2009 9:15 PM
I really want Seth Green to be Adult Ritchie in this movie.
12. Liquidkarma - March 14, 2009 12:34 AM
I hope they have a giant gay spider at the end of this one...
13. orb205 - March 14, 2009 12:55 AM
I developed an irrational fear of black and white photos and balloons for 4 years of my childhood, regardless of the cheesy giant tarantula ending. So good for them and their remake!
Also who really wants to see an Escape from New York without a terribly fake snake tattoo encrusted (bedazzled?) Kurt Russell? I'm not sure that's an escape I'm willing to see.
14. Nathiest - March 14, 2009 2:37 AM
didn't they already do a remake of IT and didn't it SUCK!?
15. kyle - March 14, 2009 10:07 AM
I'm betting they leave out the consentual gangbang that all the characters had with beverly at age 12.
Seriously. I got to around page 1100 and hit that scene and the entire book was ruined for me. Not to mention the far out psychic mind battle the lead had with "spider thing"
16. Pluto - March 14, 2009 11:32 AM
@15
The sex scene was kinda weird, but it was needed to take the last bit of their innocence away, thus ending their childhood... which gave them the strength to fight It.
Despite cutting out a lot of stuff for time restraints, the 1990 movie was quite faithful to the book. John Ritter and Tim Curry were great!
I have a feeling the new one will just be a pile of shit
17. bob - March 14, 2009 12:05 PM
OH FUCK! IT's coming back!
18. Amy - March 14, 2009 12:16 PM
no one can top Tim Curry-he's a bloody legend!
19. Mike Jewell - March 15, 2009 4:21 PM
man, are you kidding me? the original was scary? whoever said that, please please please read the book. the movie was an insult. tim curry was brilliant, but the story depicted in the movie is just NOT the same as the book. the book is long, but very easy to read in small breaks.
i hope the new movie is better. but hollywood needs to learn, until you devote unlimited time to a stephen king movie, you're just going to get garbage. and lindehoff and cruise and abrams mess up 'the dark tower', they're gonna hear about it from ALL CORNERS OF THE GLOBE.
you have been warned gentlemen :) make it good or don't make it at all.
20. Melissa - March 15, 2009 5:55 PM
14: I believe you're thinking of The Shining... Maybe not, I don't know. It did kind of suck, but it was a lot more true to the book.
And no. Pennywise isn't what makes me afraid of clowns. It's that piece of shit John Gacy that makes me fucking FEAR clowns. He's the one that said, "Clowns can get away with murder." Yeah, yikes. Who needs fiction when you have real life?
21. Really? - March 17, 2009 4:23 PM
Did anyone really think that the original was scary? Okay, maybe when we were between 7 and 12 years old, but have you watched it lately? It's kind of a steaming pile of crap. The ONLY bright spot about the miniseries was Tim Curry.
22. , - March 22, 2009 8:13 AM
Lets.
Hard to top Curry though.