Those that were trepidatious about a new version of Stephen King’s classic It story had their worries at least somewhat subdued when True Detective and Jane Eyre director Cary Fukunaga signed on.
Then those worries were reignited when Fukunaga walked away from the project due to a whole number of disagreements behind-the-scenes (budget being the most prominent) and leaving New Line scrambling for a replacement. Now it appears that they have.
The Wrap reports that Andy Muschietti is currently in talks with the studio to take the directorial reins on the It remake. The director made a name for himself with Mama, the Guillermo del Toro-produced horror that starred Jessica Chastain and grossed an impressive $146 million worldwide on a modest $15 million budget. He also directed the short film upon which Mama was based.
Fukunaga wrote the original script for the new It but since he’s out of the picture, the studio is looking for a new writer to tailor the script to Muschietti’s vision. Interestingly, one of the bones of contention between the studio and Fukunaga was that the director wanted to split it into two movies. However, reportedly New Line is moving ahead with a two-part adaptation after all. The plot thickens!
The project previously had rising British star Will Poulter attached to play Pennywise. He appears to be off the project for the time being but could come back if the scheduling can be worked out – here’s hoping, he was a fantastically left-field choice and apparently blew everyone away with his audition.
I have to admit I was very annoyed when Fukunaga left the project, simply because he’s a very creative filmmaker who I think would have done wonders for a new version of It. However, Muschietti displayed his own brand of stylishness with Mama so he seems like a perfectly decent alternative.
Source: The Wrap