EXCLUSIVE: Stephen King on IT: Chapter 2: It’s not a sequel; it’s the second half of one unified story

Stephen King, the acclaimed author of IT (1986), speaks about the upcoming second chapter, which releases this Friday, i.e. September 6, 2019. The writer revealed that he was surprised by how good the 2017 horror flick was and confesses that IT: Chapter 2 is not a sequel.

Written by Karishma Shetty , Journalist

Updated on Sep 06, 2019 | 11:53 AM IST | 1M

IT: Chapter 2 is slated to release in India on September 6, 2019.

When it was revealed that Stephen King's acclaimed 1986 horror novel IT was getting a cinematic representation, many were wary if it would actually justify the goriness of the popular book. However, the 2017 Andy Muschietti directorial proved to be a winner and became the highest-grossing horror film of all time! Collecting a staggering $700 million at the worldwide box office, IT: Chapter 1 gave credence to IT: Chapter 2. Now, two years later, IT: Chapter 2 is just a day away from its release and has doubled up on its cast members with stars like James McAvoy, Jessica Chastain and Bill Hader headlining.

When Stephen was asked about the reception to the 2017 horror flick, the writer confessed, "I had hopes for the film, but I was not prepared for how good IT was. I think the best vote of confidence for the second movie is that when the first movie ended with a title card that says, 'IT Chapter One,' audiences applauded. They wanted more. Now, they’re going to get the rest. It’s not a sequel; it’s the second half of one unified story."

Furthermore, King shared, "With IT, Andy made a horror movie, while also putting the people, the kids, first. In IT: Chapter Two, the interaction between the Losers as adults and their younger counterparts shows up in flashbacks, illuminating moments from the first chapter. In revisiting these moments, we see a wider perspective from an adult point-of-view. Again, Andy is placing the characters front and center. As a result, this creates a high-stakes horror movie experience."