Casting It 2: 15 Actors Who Should Play the Adults in the Sequel

Casting It 2: 15 Actors Who Should Play the Adults in the Sequel

Quick Links

Apparently, being terrified once just wasn’t enough. That’s right, ladies and gentlemen, the It sequel officially has a release date. The terrifying Pennywise will be back on September 6, 2019.

Of course, this sequel shouldn’t necessarily surprise anyone. On its opening weekend, It broke records, becoming the biggest opening weekend for both a horror movie and a September release. The record-breaking opening weekend is likely due to the chilling trailer showcasing Pennywise. Oh, and It didn't stop at the opening weekend. So far, the film has raked in almost $500 million, and it's still pulling in money.

Another factor that, no doubt, helped propel It to this level of success is the nostalgia. Almost anyone over the age of 25 will likely remember the 1990 mini-series, starring Tim Curry as the horrifying Pennywise. The 1990 mini-series covered the entire novel, which sees the Loser’s Club take down It as children and as adults. This year's film adaptation of It brilliantly focused only on the children’s experience with Pennywise the clown. This allows for an easy sequel, in which the members of the Loser’s Club come back as adults. The decision to split the events may have been made for financial reasons, because why make $1 billion off one It movie when you can make $2 billion off two It movies? However, splitting the narrative into two distinct films is genius storytelling as well, as there is simply too much story for one film to cover.

Since the 2019 It sequel will see the Loser’s Club returning to Derry 27 years later, who will be playing the adult Loser's Club? No one has been cast yet, but we have our ultimate dream cast below. Get ready to be scared again, my friends!

Bill Denbrough: Colin Hanks

Played by Jaeden Lieberher, Bill Denbrough was the older brother of the tragic Georgie, who made that yellow raincoat look absolutely adorable. Georgie was a super cute kid, y'know, until he was savagely dragged into the sewers by Pennywise. After his brother's murder, Bill developed a stutter and an unrelenting mission to find his brother. This was later replaced with an unrelenting mission to avenge his brother.

In the face of great emotional tragedy, Bill stayed relatively positive. He wanted to do something with his grief, rather than wallow in it. Because of his optimistic attitude and his special connection to the clown through Georgie’s death, Bill is often seen as the leader of the Loser's Club, despite the fact that he’s often just as scared as the others.

In the sequel, Bill grows up fairly as you’d expect. He’s a happily married, successful horror novelist. Yes, he's basically Stephen King. So, who should play this scared and unlikely hero in the sequel? Colin Hanks!

First of all, Colin Hanks looks a lot like Jaeden Lieberher all grown up. (This is your future face, Jaeden.) Colin Hanks is also a truly underrated actor, though it must be difficult with having Tom Hanks as your father. I mean, those are some big shoes to fill. Still, Colin Hanks would be a perfect choice for the horror novelist who defeats Pennywise.

Bill Denbrough: Patrick Wilson

Our runner-up choice for Bill Denbrough is Patrick Wilson. Unlike Colin Hanks, who does a lot of television work, Patrick Wilson is more widely known for his film roles. Oh, and bonus points for Patrick Wilson, because he has a lot of experience in the horror genre. Wilson’s starred in The Conjuring films and in the Insidious films. Long story short, you can count on Patrick Wilson to star in any and every horror movie about scary kids.

While Patrick Wilson's leading man looks are that of the traditional hero, he actually doesn't play the tradition hero all that often. Instead, Wilson plays men who have difficulty with heroism. Wilson's heroes are either stunted by fear or fall short. This makes him a great candidate for Bill.

In terms of casting Bill, Tobey Maguire is another name that keeps getting thrown around, and he does make sense. Maguire has a lot of experience playing a scared but willing hero. Spider-Man, anyone?

Chloe Bennett
Penulis

Chloe Bennett

Chloe Bennett explores the intersection of pop culture, streaming entertainment, digital trends, and contemporary lifestyle. Her weekly commentary reaches thousands of culture enthusiasts.