Anmol Ahuja
Close to no less than a decade ago, I would have scoffed at someone who would have come up to me with the idea of a third film in the very successful ‘It’ horror franchise, provided it released back then. However, things have changed in 2019: this being officially the age of nostalgia, revivals and might I add, unwanted sequels. The summer blockbuster season is all but over and we are still neck deep in them. Not that I am dismissive of all of them, but let’s be honest here. Most of such revivals or sequels happen as an attempt at grasping straws in the sand, and not out of love for the characters or a genuine drive to continue telling a story that appealed to audiences that one time.
Therefore, the conditions under which a next chapter, prequel or origin story might happen in the ‘It’ series of films would be solely to milk the cash cow and keeping the money coming, now that the story of the Losers and Pennywise the clown, even according to the source novel by Stephen King, is over. Having said that and being perfectly aware of the sign of the times, I am not ruling out that WB could announce another film in the same universe, seeing as though this is one of their properties that has worked both critical and commercial wonders for them. Here, we examine the possibilities of it.
It Chapter 3 Plot: What Can It Be About?
‘It: Chapter 2’ serves as the conclusion of the showdown between the Losers and Pennywise the clown that began two years ago with the first film. While the clown appeared to be purged into the depths at the end of the first chapter, he is bound to return every 27 years to the town of Derry, Maine, and when he does this time, he is faced with the grown up losers club, who are intent on putting an end to Pennywise’s terror once and for all. The film is running in theatres currently, and as told above, mirrors the end of the Stephen King saga.
To reaffirm, while the first film ended with Pennywise escaping to the depths while Bill hoped he would starve during his hibernation, Beverly’s visions told otherwise. She saw the losers assemble once again to fight the terror that was Pennywise, thereby confirming that there would be a sequel. On the contrary, the second chapter, by its very nature as a conclusion, ends with the losers tearing the clown’s heart out, quite literally, ending his menace, and in a way, disabling his physical form as well. It would thus be imperative to assume that Pennywise won’t be returning, thus shutting the doors on a possible direct sequel. Andy Muschietti, the director of both the ‘It’ films, had this to say about the possibility of sequels on the film. “This is the conclusion of the book, so there is no part three. This is the end of the journey of the Losers against Pennywise. But, as we all know the mythology is very rich, and in Stephen King’s book Pennywise has been around for a million years, he’s been in contact with humans for at least five hundred years, and he comes back every twenty-seven years. So, if you go back and back and back and back, you’ll see a lot of drama.”
To sum it up, while there definitely won’t be a “Chapter 3” per se, there can still be prequels exploring Pennywise’s origin, as I have studied in my detailed explainer, or more films highlighting the mythology of the city of Derry, or how the evil spirit behind Pennywise the dancing clown came to be. I can still see plenty of opportunities they could make good on, even if I may not see the urgency or the need for it. After all, the same WB and New Line Cinema harbour another horror franchise wherein spinoffs have led to spinoffs comprising a universe of eight such films. There is also a ‘Trench’ horror film in the works, spinning off from creatures worth five minutes of screen-time in the smash hit ‘Aquaman’, so why not this? Pennywise is, in all good reason, genuinely terrifying after all.
It Chapter 3 Cast: Who Can Be In It?
Since it has already been established that a direct sequel to ‘It: Chapter 2’ won’t be happening, there is no point imagining that any of the losers would return to reprise their roles from either of the two chapters, young or old. The only cast member I am genuinely pinning my hopes on is Bill Skarsgard as Pennywise, since the actor is a find in this role. Even when he was not dressed as the clown in one brief scene in the film, he scared the bejesus out of me just through the sheer intensity of his act. If the makers decide to move forward with it, WB should be holding on to this guy.
It Chapter 3 Crew: Who Is Behind It?
The only reason WB actually agreed on a close to three hour runtime for ‘It: Chapter 2’ and curtailed ‘Justice League’s to less than two hours is trust. Trust in the final product and trust in their director to deliver. Andy Muschietti delivered an outrageously daring hit for them: minimal investment, no big cast names to boast of and returns that were almost twenty fold, simply on the quality of the movie. It is therefore, again, imperative to assume that any project stemming from this universe should either be headed by Muschietti, or atleast have him involved in any and all creative capacities, much like James Wan has been kept on board as producer and creative director for the remaining films in the ‘Conjuring’ franchise.
It Chapter 3 Release Date: When Will It Premiere?
Both the ‘It’ films have been released over a gap of two years, with work on the second beginning as soon as the makers were done shrugging off the success of the first one from their shoulders. This is because the two movies were two halves of the same piece, being conceptualised as such. I believe that this would have been the case regardless of the first chapter not being a massive box office hit.
What that brings me to is that the next chapter, whatever it may be conceptualised as: a prequel, origin story or spinoff, would firstly depend on how well the second movie does, the reviews and opening figures for which have already started coming in, and things are looking increasingly good for the second chapter as well. Assuming all goes well on the eastern front, we can expect to receive any developments on a potential project by next year. That leaves us with possible release dates for anytime between 2021 and 2022.
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