Movies
[Video] Bill Skarsgård Doing the Pennywise Smile Without Makeup is Even Creepier
When I saw the first clip from IT before Annabelle: Creation last month, one thing was immediately clear to me: Bill Skarsgård was born to play Pennywise the clown.
Now that I’ve seen Andy Muschietti’s IT in its entirety, I can confidently say that the new Pennywise is one of the best movie monsters since the ’80s, driven by a gripping performance from Skarsgård that is downright Oscar-worthy. Comparisons have been made to Heath Ledger’s portrayal of The Joker, and you won’t find me disagreeing.
Like Ledger, Skarsgård took an iconic character and managed to make it even more iconic. His Pennywise is an entirely different beast than the Tim Curry version, and Skarsgård nailed the complexity of the character in a way that makes him so much more than just a scary clown. As presented in Stephen King’s novel, Pennywise is an otherworldly monster doing his best imitation of the human clown he enjoys presenting himself as, and you get all of that from Skarsgård’s impossibly creepy performance.
A whole lot of credit must be given to the makeup and special effects teams for helping to make this new version of Pennywise one of the all-time scariest movie villains, but you might be surprised how much of that was actually Skarsgård himself. The actor, for example, really can move his eyes independently of each other, adding a subtle layer of extra creepiness to the performance.
And then there’s that whimsically sinister smile, which Skarsgård just showed off to a Swedish radio program… without any makeup or digital enhancement whatsoever.
Yup. This was the role he was born to play.
It’s hard to imagine that anyone was begging for yet another Robin Hood movie, but this latest one sounds quite a bit more interesting than the usual tale. Deadline reports this afternoon that Michael Sarnoski (Pig, the upcoming horror prequel A Quiet Place: Day One) is directing The Death of Robin Hood, said to be a darker reimagining of the classic story.
And get this. Hugh Jackman and Jodie Comer are attached to star!
Deadline details, “The film is a darker reimagining of the classic Robin Hood tale. Set of its time, the film will see the title character grappling with his past after a life of crime and murder, a battleworn loner who finds himself gravely injured and in the hands of a mysterious woman who offers him a chance at salvation. Production is due to begin in February 2025.”
Michael Sarnoski wrote the screenplay and will be directing the film.
Aaron Ryder and Andrew Swett will produce under their Ryder Picture Company banner alongside Alexander Black for Lyrical Media. Lyrical’s Jon Rosenberg and Natalie Sellers will executive-produce with Rama Gottumukkala, Sarnoski, and Jackman.
“This is not the story of Robin Hood we’ve all come to know,” teased Aaron Ryder and Andrew Swett of RPC. “Instead, Michael has crafted something far more grounded and visceral. Thanks to Alexander Black and our friends at Lyrical along with Rama and Michael, the world is going to love seeing Hugh and Jodie together in this epic.”
“It has been an incredible opportunity to reinvent and freshly innovate the story we all know of Robin Hood,” adds Sarnoski. “Securing the perfect cast to transform the script to screen was essential. I could not be more thrilled and trusting in Hugh and Jodie to bring this story to life in a powerful and meaningful way.”
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