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IT remake news

edited March 2009 in Adaptations
Warner Bros. taps Kajganich for 'It'



Stephen King novel previously a TV miniseries

By DAVE MCNARY



Warner Bros. is doing "It," tapping Dave Kajganich to adapt Stephen King's novel, with Dan Lin and Vertigo's Roy Lee and Doug Davison producing.



"It" centers on seven children in a small Maine town who confront the source of a series of murders in 1958 and again in 1985, when the cycle begins again.



The novel was previously adapted into a 1990 ABC miniseries.



Kajganich is also writing "Escape From New York" for Neal Moritz and New Line and "True Story" for Plan B to produce at Paramount Vantage, with Kevin McDonald attached to direct.
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Comments

  • From Dread Central



    Warner Bros. isn't clowning around on the remake front as it is sending everyone's favorite clown Pennywise back into the spotlight for a theatrical redux of Stephen King's novel IT to be produced by Lin Pictures and Vertigo Entertainment.



    According to The Hollywood Reporter Dave Kajganich (The Invasion) has been brought on to pen the script, "which follows a group of kids called the Losers Club that encounter a creature called It, which preys on children and whose favorite form is that of a sadistic clown called Pennywise. When the creature resurfaces, the kids are called upon to regroup again, this time as adults, even though they have no memory of the first battle."



    In a twist (because oh, how Hollywood loves a twist) even though the book and the TV mini-series were set in 1958 and 1985, this feature version will take place predominantly in the present day. Hell, who needs backstory and character development? Am I right? At the very least maybe Dave will be able to fix that really dumb ending. A giant spider? Really?



    Kajganich will also be writing both the Pet Semetary and Escape From New York remakes. Keep it here for more.
  • Heard from Dave Kajganich, the writer of the upcoming theatrical remake of Stephen King's IT, recently, and he was kind enough to give us an update on how this massive story is being streamlined into one film.





    "The remake will be set in the mid-1980s and in the present almost equally -- mirroring the twenty-odd-year gap King uses in the book -- and with a *great* deal of care and attention paid to the backstories of all the characters," says Kajganich. "I think the real twist here is that my pitch to WB -- which they've assured me they're on board for -- is that this will not be PG-13. This will be R. Which means we can really honor the book and engage with the traumas (both the paranormal ones and those they deal with at home and school) that these character endure."



    "I plan to be very protective of the book," Kajganich continues. "The reality, though, is that WB wants to do this as a single film, so I will have to kill a few darlings to make that happen. You have my promise, though, that I will do this with the utmost humility and respect for King's work. He's the King, after all, and I intend to continue to pledge to him my allegiance."



    He had me at rated R. Dave has also assured us that even though what happens to the script is out of his control once he turns it in, the producers are top notch and willing to go to bat to bring the above to fruition. Look for more on IT soon!



    >>> Source
  • According to Producer Dan Lin, writer Dave Kajganich is expected to turn in a draft of his script for It over Christmas.
  • Stephen King's 'It' to Be Adapted by Cary Fukunaga Into Two Films



    Warner Bros’ adaptation of the classic Stephen King novel It has a director and writer.



    Cary Fukunaga, the hot-shot filmmaker behind last year’s adaptation of Jane Eyre, is boarding the project as director and will co-write the script with Chase Palmer, who previously adapted Frank Herbert’s Dune for Paramount.



    Roy Lee and Dan Lin are producing It, as are Seth Grahame-Smith and David Katzenberg of KatzSmith Production.



    A best-selling book when it was published in1986, It, like The Stand, is one of King’s biggest and most dense tomes, and the plan is for Fukunaga and Palmer to adapt the work into two films.



    Warners picked up the rights in 2009 and originally intended to adapt it into a single movie. Jon Silk is co-producing. Fukunaga won the directing award at the Sundance Film Festival for his drama Sin Nombre. He is attached to develop HBO’s True Detective, which has Woody Harrelson and Matthew McConaughey attached as stars.



    Palmer, an award-winning shorts director, first worked with Fukunaga on Focus’ No Blood, No, Guts, No Glory. Fukunaga and Palmer are repped by WME. Fukunaga is additionally repped by Anonymous Content and Lichter Grossman while Palmer is also repped by The Gotham Group and Weissman Wolff.
  • Out of the latest King cinematic adaptations, this one excites me the least.  The reveal of exactly what, 'It,' is, is a let down for me.



    Plus, I am never a big fan of characters not remembering what they went through.
  • Pennywise. Who here can honestly say that Tim Curry’s performance as the evil, shape-shifting clown in the TV adaptation of Stephen King’s novel “It” wasn’t one of the greatest performances of his career? However fans of the original two-part film might be a little put off with what is shaping up to be a far darker and more accurate representation of the novel.



    Rumours of a possible remake began circulating a few years ago in 2009, before the project went underground and fell silent for a few years. With David Kajganich writing the script for a single feature length film with a darker mood than the original, and which would be aiming for an R rating, things looked interesting, if not entirely promising for a remake of the absolutely incredible ABC mini-series of 1990.



    Since then, Warner Bros. has managed to get Cary Fukunaga (Sin Nombre, Jane Eyre) on-board to both direct and co-write with Chase Palmer of Dune fame. More good news also surfaced late last year with Warner Bros. also agreeing to split the film into two parts, allowing more time to properly explore the themes, concepts and terror contained in the 1,200 page novel than a single feature film would allow.



    They have also assembled Roy Lee, Dan Smith, David Katzenberg and Seth Grahame-Smith to Produce, however no news has surfaced yet on who will be playing Pennywise, or on any other cast or crew additions. It’s worth noting that this film has been stuck in pre-production since the first script was penned in 2009, so don’t get your hopes up for a release any time soon.



    >>> Source
  • edited February 2014
    Cary Fukunaga on It remake *spoilers*

    Are you also still hoping to do the two-part It movie?

    FUKUNAGA: I am in the midst of rewriting the first script now. We’re not working on the second part yet. The first script is just about the kids. It’s more like Goonies meets a horror film.

    As great as Tim Curry was as Pennywise the clown in the TV movie of It, one of the biggest failures of that was the really cheesy creature at the end.

    FUKUNAGA: There will be no spider at the end of our movie. We’re definitely honoring the spirit of Stephen King, but the horror has to be modernized to make it relevant. That’s my job, right now, on this pass. I’m working on making the horror more about suspense than visualization of any creatures. I just don’t think that’s scary. What could be there, and the sounds and how it interacts with things, is scarier than actual monsters.

    http://collider.com/cary-fukunaga-tr...5IUTsqYpmmZ.99
  • In a rare move, It is shifting to Warner Bros.' New Line division. Insiders say that as New Line prepares for a June move from West Hollywood to Warners' Burbank lot, the siblings are drawing clearer distinctions about the types of movies they make.

    >>> Source
  • I like the idea of two movies.  Fingers crossed that it comes to fruition.

    Really excited to see what Fukunaga would do with the scary parts - he did a masterful job with them in True Detective.
  • edited December 2014
    Cary Fukunaga to begin filming adaptation of Stephen King's 'It' next year

    It looks like Pennywise the Clown will soon be back to make audiences fear clowns for years to come.

    Speaking to Vulture on Dec. 4, producer Dan Lin confirmed that True Detective director Cary Fukunaga is on board for a new adaptation of Stephen King’s It.

    “The idea is to start official prep in March for a summer shoot,” Lin, a producer on The Lego Movie, told Vulture.

    However, Lin said It was too big to keep to one movie, and so the plan is to split It into two films (which, if Lin takes inspiration from Peter Jackson, will turn into a trilogy culminating in It: A Pennywise for Your Thoughts).

    Lin only confirmed Fukunaga’s involvement for the first film, but did say he is working to sign on the director for the second one as well.

    The two-part film does have some precedent in the case of It, however. The original 1986 novel has only seen one other major adaptation, a two-part miniseries on ABC that aired in 1990. That version is particularly memorable for Tim Curry’s horrifying portrayal of Pennywise the Clown, and should serve as a standard-bearer for clown-based scares as Fukunaga and Lin prep their version.

    More so than signing on Fukunaga for both parts, Lin has been most concerned with earning the approval of one man: Stephen King.

    “The most important thing is that Stephen King gave us his blessing,” Lin said. “We didn’t want to make this unless he felt it was the right way to go, and when we sent him the script, the response that Cary got back was, ‘Go with God, please! This is the version the studio should make.’ So that was really gratifying.”

  • In an interview at the 2015 Sundance Film Festival, Fukunaga says that he is "still working on the screenplay." He says, "If that movie happens, it will be my first movie made in America." He says he's only thought about casting for Pennywise (without revealing who). The kids will mostly be unknowns, he says. He confirmed that the first movie will focus on the kids and a later film will do the adult story. He does not yet have a script for the second film.
  • Interesting approach with the two movies. Can't wait to see how it plays out.
  • The feature film adaptation of Stephen King’s It is finally entering pre-production, with plans on going behind cameras this June in New York, reports Production Weekly. The article also says it could be a trilogy, but I doubt that.

  • Crew from new adaptation of Stephen King’s “It” in Bangor to scope out potential filming locations

    While nothing is set in stone and no official announcements have been made by anyone associated with the film, Stu Tinker, owner and operator of SK Tours, the official Stephen King tour of Bangor, took a production designer from the upcoming Hollywood two-part remake of King’s “It” on a tour of the city on Monday.

    Tinker, who owned King-centric bookstore Bett’s Books and has for 18 years run SK Tours, took production designer Mara LePere-Schloop on a tour of the city, scoping out locations including the Thomas Hill Standpipe, the land running alongside the Kenduskeag Stream that in “It” is called The Barrens, and the Waterworks on the Penobscot River. Bangor — well, Derry, Bangor’s stand-in in the King Universe — is the primary location in “It.” Tinker said LePere-Schloop said during her tour that they were hoping to shoot some scenes in the city and possibly get some aerial shots, though currently the leading locations for the majority of filming for the movie are in Yonkers, N.Y. and in upstate New York.
  • Set designer Mara LePere-Shloop did say that they were hoping to shoot some of the scenes in the city but the majority of the film would likely be done in other locations.

    >>> Source
  • edited May 2015
    New Line and “True Detective” director Cary Fukunaga have found their “It.”

    Sources tell Variety that Will Poulter (“We’re the Millers”) is in negotiations to play Pennywise, the evil monster who lured in children disguised as a clown, in the upcoming remake of Stephen King’s horror classic.

    After considering older actors like Mark Rylance and Ben Mendelsohn for the Pennywise role, New Line wanted to take a different route and go younger. New Line also distributed Poulter’s “We’re the Millers,” which co-starred Jennifer Aniston and Jason Sudeikis.

    Sources say in the end, Fukunaga could not say no after being blown away by Poulter’s audition for the part and felt he was the right choice for the role.

    While the role is dark and evil, sources say Poulter is more than capable of taking on the character especially after his work on New Regency’s “The Revenant,” starring Leonardo DiCaprio. In the Alejandro Gonzalez Innaritu film, he plays one of the robbers who leaves DiCaprio for dead after he is mauled in the wilderness by a bear. Insiders who have seen early footage feel that Poulter, 22, is more than ready for a villainous lead.

    Since the original novel ran at about 900 pages and spanned several decades, the plan is for New Line to shoot one movie focusing on the protagonists as kids and another focusing on them as adults. Fukunaga has scripts for both ready, with Poulter appearing in both films, making him the star of the project.

    He can be seen next in “The Revenant,” which opens on Christmas Day, and is attached to “Yellowbirds” opposite Tye Sheridan.

    >>> Source
  • Interesting choice - he definitely has the facial features for it.... er IT.
  • edited May 2015
    New Line’s feature adaptation of Stephen King’s “It” has lost its director.

    Cary Fukunaga has dropped out of the project as director, sources confirmed on Monday. The “True Detective” director exited the project this weekend.

    “It” was set to be split up into two films, and sources say New Line was considering making only one movie due to budget concerns. Fukunaga, however, was adamant about making two pics. They could not agree on a budget, causing Fukunaga to clash with the studio.

    Production was originally set to move forward this summer, but is now stalled.

    It was revealed earlier this month that Will Poulter is in talks to play the evil clown Pennywise in the horror. Older actors Mark Rylance and Ben Mendelsohn were also in the mix for the role.

    Fukunaga came on board to the project in 2012, when it was set up at Warner Bros. before moving to New Line. He penned the screenplay along with Chase Palmer.

    >>> Source : http://variety.com/2015/film/news/it-cary-fukunaga-director-exits-1201504672/
  • As the start of production loomed in mid-June, Fukunaga’s recent drafts were coming in over-budget, and New Line has had success with genre movies when it has maintained a hard financial line. The budget conflict over It had been brewing for weeks, as Fukunaga discovered when he initially tried to cast Ben Mendelsohn as the titular villain.

    While many assumed Mendelsohn was forced to turn down It due to his pending involvement in Star Wars: Rogue One, an individual with knowledge of the situation told TheWrap that the Australian actor could’ve starred in both movies — It in June and Rogue One in September — but New Line wanted Mendelsohn to take a sizable pay cut, prompting him to pass on the project.

  • Depressing news. Was really interested in seeing this two movie take of the story.
  •  Fukunaga has put his side of the story.

    "I was trying to make an unconventional horror film. It didn’t fit into the algorithm of what they knew they could spend and make money back on based on not offending their standard genre audience", he explained.

    "Our budget was perfectly fine. We were always hovering at the $32 million mark, which was their budget. It was the creative that we were really battling. It was two movies. They didn’t care about that. In the first movie, what I was trying to do was an elevated horror film with actual characters. They didn’t want any characters. They wanted archetypes and scares. I wrote the script. They wanted me to make a much more inoffensive, conventional script. But I don’t think you can do proper Stephen King and make it inoffensive".

    Noting that King had seen an earlier draft of the screenplay "and liked it", Fukunaga added that "the main difference was making Pennywise more than just the clown. After 30 years of villains that could read the emotional minds of characters and scare them, trying to find really sadistic and intelligent ways he scares children, and also the children had real lives prior to being scared. And all that character work takes time. It’s a slow build, but it’s worth it, especially by the second film. But definitely even in the first film, it pays off".

    >>> Source
  • New Line, the backing studio for Stephen King's "It" reboot, is in negotations with "Mama" director Andy Muschietti to helm the film

    >>> Source
  • ‘It’ Movie Hopefully Shooting This Year; Will Be Rated-R

    “It will hopefully be shooting later this year. We just got the California tax credit… Gary Doberman wrote the most recent draft working with Andy Muscetti, so it’s being envisioned as two movies.”

    ndeed, the plan was always to make this adaptation two movies, with the first revolving around the characters as children and the second picking up with them as adults. King’s book switches back and forth between the two time periods, and Lee added that once all is said and done, one could conceivably cut these two It movies together to make a more straightforward adaptation of King’s book:

    “It is very close to the source material in one way but very different if you look at it as a literary piece of work… We’re taking it and making the movie from the point of view of the kids, and then making another movie from the point of view of the adults, that could potentially then be cut together like the novel. But it’s gonna be a really fun way of making this movie.”

    As for the film’s rating, Lee confirms it will be Rated R and adds that while they have a final draft, they’re currently fine-tuning the script to hit their budget target:

    “We are very close to turning in the final draft of the script. It’s mainly working on it for budgeting purposes to make it fit within the budget that we have.”
  • Great to hear the two movie conceit has survived.
  • Toronto is this summer: Stephen King’s movie adaptation of his famed novel is set to film on our streets from June 27 to Sept 6. This time, the story will be told from the kids’ POV.

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