It
Stephen King’sITremains one of the greatest pieces of repulsion fiction ever created . The gigantic 1100 Sir Frederick Handley Page epic poem blew readers aside when it was released in 1986 . The novel became so popular that studio were dying to make a film right out , which resulted in 1990 television receiver miniseries , IT . Tim Curry ’s performance as Pennywise is still terrifying to this day , even if the real miniseries is pretty lackluster reckon back .
In 2017 , New Line Cinema wanted to make another adaptation to scare modern audiences . 2017’sITwas a critical and commercial success , making it one of thehighest - grossing R rated moviesever . There ’s a reason citizenry are so passionate about King ’s work , as it continues to pass through daddy culture . Here are ten interesting fact about Stephen King’sITthat you may not cognize .
Pennywise Was Not Inspired By John Wayne Gacy
Despite what many imagine , King has proceed on record saying that serial orca John Wayne Gacy was n’t the inhalation for Pennywise the Dancing Clown , the most common form that IT accept in the novel and celluloid . King believed that clowns are terrorize to kids , which made him create this iconic fiber .
rather of being regulate by Gacy ( who arrange up as a goofball ) , King borrowed from other famous clowns he deemed to be terrify such as Ronald McDonald , Bozo , and Clarabelle from the Howdy Doody show . While Gacy definitely was responsible for clowns becoming such a terrifying matter for kids , Pennywise was still inspire by others .
IT Was Inspired By A Norwegian Fairy Tale
While Pennywise was root on by other famous clown , the actual entity of IT and the story as a whole was inspired byThe Three Billy Goats Gruff , a Norwegian fairy story . In this tale , three goats outsmart a trolling that lives under the bridge .
Of course King ’s novel is much more complex than that , but he did use this tale as a guide . The troll subsist under a span , while IT lives in the sewers under Derry . King posit about the generation of his own fib , “ I thought of how such a account might be cast ; how it might be potential to make a carom effect , interweaving the story of the children and the adults they become ”
Tilda Swinton Was Considered For Pennywise In The 2017 Film
Not to take anything forth from Bill Skarsgård ’s brilliant performance , but just think it Tilda Swinton took on the role . Swinton is a extremely praised performer who is live for being an fantabulous character actress . The producer said that they auditioned century for the function . Then someone suggested Swinton , which many agree would be great .
Unfortunately , Swinton was too busy at the time to take on such an iconic reference . It also would n’t have matter if a woman played Pennywise , moot IT is a cosmic entity not even from this universe that clearly goes mode beyond male or female .
Beverly And Richie Appear In Another Stephen King Novel
One of King ’s more recent novels,11/22/63(which is easily one of Stephen King ’s best books ) , does have a section where the main friend Jake goes back in time and visits Derry to prevent a brute murder . While he ’s there , Jake is told by resident about the Derry execution and how many claimed to have seen a clown be responsible .
Derry is featured in many of King ’s novels , yet11/22/63actually has a section where Jake unravel into Beverly and Richie , two extremity of the Loser ’s Club . It ’s a very heartwarming and glad fit where Jake teaches them how to do the Lindy - hop saltation .
IT Is Referenced In Other King Novels
Technically , Pennywise has only been shown in one other novel , The Tommyknockers , where Tommy remember get word a buffoon star at him from the sewers with “ shiny silver clam eyes . ” That being said , there have been other mention to IT in the Stephen King population .
InDreamcatcher , a persona control graffiti writing that prove “ Pennywise Lives . ” Also , IT ’s true habitation is the Macroverse , which has been featured in theDark Towerseries . Specifically , Gan , or The Other , is an omnipotent being who created the Multiverse and is more knock-down than IT and IT ’s outstanding enemy , Maturin .
Tim Curry Has Less Than 20 Minutes Of Screen Time
Even though Tim Curry ’s operation as Pennywise is iconic , he actually only had about 20 minute of screentime . With a run prison term of around 192 minutes , this leaves Curry only sharing about 10 % of it total . This just go to show how enormous of a performance he did , as most masses only remember his parts of the film .
It ’s exchangeable to Anthony Hopkins inTheSilence Of The Lambs , who won an Oscar despite only having about 15 minutes of screentime . You could tell in the newer moving-picture show , they really upped the ante on Pennywise sentence , for better and for worse .
The Novel Was Co-Written By Cocaine And Alcohol
King is n’t shy sing about his dark past tense where he was once addict to cocaine and alcohol . He even admitted to being high most of the time while film his one and only directorial credit , Maximum Overdrive . Well , he was also addicted while writing much of IT .
We should n’t be surprised though , as the IT novel is preposterously mad and improper ( to say the least ) in some parts . The Ritual Of Chud is as absurd as it is clever . Let ’s also not bury about the infamous and outre sexual scenery with the Losers Club at the end , which would never ever be adjust to the big screen .
The Adrian Mellon Murder Was Based On A Real-Life Hate Crime
The beginning of the novel portray the tragic murder of Adrian Mellon . This awful hate criminal offence was actually based on a genuine - lifetime murder that happened in 1984 . In Bangor , Maine , Charles Howard was walk down the street with his boyfriend , but then three teenagers physically assaulted the couple . Howard was then throw over a bridge , after which he later drown .
This murder is very like to what find in the novel where Adrian is thrown over the bridge in Derry . The prospect was also follow through in 2019’sIT : Chapter 2 . The author find it was necessary to show as these types of vicious action are still , unluckily , an issue today .
Andy Muschietti Wants To Make A Huge Director’s Cut Of Both Films Combined
It ’s very clear that the new adaptation are faithful to the rootage material in essence and themes , yet it does n’t stick with the same structure as the Koran . The novel constantly jumps back and off between 1984 and 1958 , even in the end where they face IT as both kids and adults .
Director Andy Muschietti has state in interviews that he wants to make a elephantine cut of both films that would be structured alike to the novel . BothITandIT : Chapter 2together make up a five hour run time , although Muschietti say he want to take Modern scenes as well , make it even longer .
Cary Fukunaga’s Original Script Was Too Controversial For Warner Bros.
The novel has many lifelike bit and explores a lot of mature themes like the passing of childhood ingenuousness . It ’s no surprise then that Cary Fukunaga , who created the gritty and gothicTrue Detective , was going to have much of that inhis playscript . Fukunaga clashed with Warner Bros. over his aesthetic vision to make an improper repugnance moving picture that was much more psychological and sexual in nature .
former conscription of his handwriting were far more graphic than the final product . It also would n’t have been a close adaptation , similar to Stanley Kubrick’sThe Shining , which King has described as “ poor adjustment . ”
NEXT : IT : All The Losers Club ’s appearance In Other Stephen King Books
