It is a 1986 horror novel by American author Stephen King. Let’s see some amazing facts and trivia about the novel and the film!
1. The story follows the exploits of seven children as they are terrorized by the eponymous being, which exploits the fears and phobias of its victims in order to disguise itself while hunting its prey.
2. “It” primarily appears in the form of a clown in order to attract its preferred prey of young children. The novel is told through narratives alternating between two time periods, and is largely told in the third-person omniscient mode.
3.It deals with themes that eventually became King staples: the power of memory, childhood trauma, and the ugliness lurking behind a façade of traditional small-town values.
4. The novel won the British Fantasy Award in 1987, and received nominations for the Locus and World Fantasy Awards that same year.
5. Publishers Weekly listed It as the best-selling book in the United States in 1986.
6. Described as a mysterious, eldritch demonic entity of evil, It is a monster of unknown origin that preys on Derry’s children and humans every three decades, stating It finds the fear in children akin to “salt(ing) the meat”.
7. Among Its powers is shapeshifting into a form that induces fear while killing the victim, normally assuming the form of a middle-aged man dressed in a clown costume, calling itself “Pennywise the Dancing Clown” and occasionally Bob or Robert Gray, modeled after Bozo, Clarabell and Ronald McDonald.
8. It can also manipulate people and use them as pawns into doing its bidding, either by assuming a form most familiar to them, promising them their desires, or through subliminal influence. Thus, having control over what happens in Derry, many of the child murders It commits are never solved, as the adults of Derry either act as though nothing is happening or have forgotten about It.
9. Its true form as perceived by the human eye is that of a giant spider that houses Its essence: namely writhing orange lights (termed “Deadlights”), looking directly into which can either kill a person or drive them insane.
10. Its awakening and return to hibernation mark the greatest instances of violence during Its time awake, such as the disappearance of over three hundred settlers from Derry Township in 1740–43
11. In 1957, It awoke during a great storm which flooded part of the city, whereupon It went on a feeding spree, starting by murdering George Denbrough. However, the Losers’ Club forced It to return to an early hibernation when heavily wounded by the young Bill Denbrough in the first Ritual of Chüd.
12. As the story opens, It has awakened approximately 27 years later and is first seen when three bullies beat up a homosexual couple, Adrian Mellon and Don Hagarty. It killed Adrian after the bullies threw him off a bridge. When the adult members of the Losers’ Club gathered, It recognized them as a threat and resolved to drive them away through both illusions and by controlling Henry Bowers, the Losers’ long-time childhood bully. Bill, Richie, Beverly, Eddie and Ben managed to confront Its spider form after It arranged to have Audra in its possession. It was finally destroyed in the second Ritual of Chüd with an enormous storm that damages the downtown part of Derry to signify It’s death.
13. Explained in the Dark Tower Series, Pennywise has the same shape-shifting ability as the sinister character Dandelo.
14. The character has been named by several outlets as one of the scariest clowns in film or pop culture
15. In 1990, the novel was adapted into a television miniseries starring Tim Curry as Pennywise the Clown,[8] John Ritter as Ben Hanscom, Harry Anderson as Richie Tozier, Richard Masur as Stan Uris, Tim Reid as Mike Hanlon, Annette O’Toole as Beverly Marsh, Richard Thomas as Bill Denbrough, Olivia Hussey as Audra Phillips, Dennis Christopher as Eddie Kaspbrak, and Michael Cole as Henry Bowers.
16. On March 12, 2009, Warner Bros. announced that a new adaptation of Stephen King’s novel had started. Dan Lin, Roy Lee and Doug Davison were set to produce, with Jon Silk executive producing.[9] In 2010, the screenplay was being written by David Kajganich.
17. On September 21, 2010, film director Guillermo del Toro announced that he would like to direct new adaptations of the Stephen King novels It and Pet Sematary, but stated that he was very busy and unlikely to be able to make them any time soon.[11]
18. On June 7, 2012, The Hollywood Reporter announced that the novel would be adapted into a two-part film, directed by Cary Fukunaga. On May 21, 2014, Warner Bros. moved the film to its New Line Cinema division
19. On December 5, 2014, it was announced that the first part would be set in the past and the second part in the present. The two-part film was set to begin shooting in the summer of 2016.
20. In March 2015, the director talked about the film and said that he was trying to find a perfect “Pennywise”. He also revealed that he and other writers had changed the names and dates in the script.In May 2015, it was announced that Will Poulter was cast as Pennywise in the film.
21.That same month, it was reported that Fukunaga had dropped out of directing and that production on the film was stalled.
22. On July 16, 2015, Andy Muschietti was in negotiation to direct the film.
23. On April 13, 2016, King announced on his Facebook page that filming would begin soon.
24. A week later, the studio announced that the film would be released on September 8, 2017.
25. In June 2016, The Hollywood Reporter reported that Bill Skarsgård had been cast as Pennywise after Poulter dropped out to pursue other projects. Jaeden Lieberher will portray Bill Denbrough.
26. Finn Wolfhard will portray Richie Tozier, newcomer Sophia Lillis will portray Beverly Marsh, Jack Dylan Grazer will portray Eddie Kaspbrak, Wyatt Oleff will portray Stan Uris, Chosen Jacobs will portray Mike Hanlon and Jeremy Ray Taylor will portray Ben Hanscom. Owen Teague was later cast as one of the Bowers gang, Patrick Hockstetter.
27. Nicholas Hamilton was cast as Henry Bowers, Logan Thompson as Victor Criss and Jake Sim as Belch Huggins. The first official trailer was released on March 29, 2017.
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