As far as we’ve seen so far, Bill Skarsgard was the absolute perfect choice to fill Tim Curry’s massive clown shoes in the new adaptation of IT. But what did that casting process look like, before Skarsgard nailed his audition?
In Kalyn Corrigan’s set visit recap that we posted here on Bloody earlier today, she noted that “Tilda Swinton was strongly considered for the role” of Pennywise, and the set report from Arrow in the Head elaborates on that a bit more.
According to producer Barbara Muschietti, Swinton was indeed an early option!
“We auditioned literally hundreds of potential Bob Grays or Pennywises and it was an amazing process. We got to audition people that don’t audition anymore and a huge gamut of talent; women, younger age, older age, we really went through the spectrum of actors,” she said during a chat with the press on set.
This led someone to inquire whether or not Tilda Swinton was considered – an internet rumor from a ways back.
“[Tilda Swinton] wasn’t available. No, no I swear to god. She was not,” Muschietti replied. “We had a slot to shoot the movie and she wasn’t available so she didn’t even audition. But of course, we all thought about it.”
In the new adaptation…
A group of young kids face their biggest fears when they seek answers to the disappearance of children in their hometown of Derry, Maine. They square off against an evil clown named Pennywise, whose history of murder and violence dates back for centuries.
The kids in peril, the Losers’ Club, include Sophia Lillis, Jaeden Lieberher, Finn Wolfhard, Jack Dylan Grazer, Wyatt Oleff, Chosen Jacobs and Jeremy Ray Taylor. Javier Botet will play The Leper, and Nicholas Hamilton plays Henry Bowers. The cast also includes Owen Teague, who plays bully Patrick Hocksetter. Bill Skarsgard is our new Pennywise.
The film will be in theaters September 8, 2017.
