IT: Chapter Twois gearing up tostart production, and the New Line Cinema horror sequel has just added a pair of cast members to play some pivotal supporting roles. Clearly directorAndres Muschietti& Co. aren’t pulling any punches either with their casting choices this round or with the tough thematic material they’ll be pulling fromStephen King’s classic tome.
As Deadline reports,Xavier Dolan(The Death, and Life of John F. Donovan) andWill Beinbrink(Queen of the South) will be joiningIT: Chapter Twoin the roles of Adrian Mellon and Tom Rogan, respectively. They’ll star alongsideJames McAvoyas Bill,Bill Haderas Richie,Jessica Chastainas Beverly,James Ransoneas Eddie,Andy Beanas Stanley,Jay Ryanas Ben andIsaiah Mustafaas Mike, whileBill Skarsgardalso returns to terrorize them all as Pennywise. We’ll break down the new roles a little more below, but since they’re somewhatspoilery, if you’re good with just the casting info and want to wait until the film hits theaters August 14, 2025 (!), feel free to stop here.
Beinbrink’s role is a bit less spoilery and a bit more involved in the original King story, at least as far as the Losers Club characters go. Rogan is Beverly’s husband, an abusive brute who is strikingly similar in demeanor to younger Beverly’s father. Unlike her dad, however, Rogan plays an important role in the events that unfold during the older characters' timeline and is not beyond the reach of Pennywise himself.
As for Dolan, his role carries just as much impact but isn’t directly connected with either the kids or adults of the Losers Club in the book. He’s a gay man living in the town of Derry and the partner of Don Hagarty. Despite the town’s strong, anti-homosexual slant, the pair decide to keep living there due to just how quaint everything else about Derry is. The trouble is, Mellon and Hagarty run into some ne’er-do-wells while attending the town fair and it does not end well. And while they have some interaction with Pennywise (with Mellon’s being the worse of the pair), they don’t interact with any of the Losers.
Now all of this could change in the final film, but it’s a good sign of a faithful adaptation that Mellon’s character, specifically, is being included. Dolan, an award-winning Québécois filmmaker who’s been in the critical eye since age 19, recentlycut Chastain from his most recent film, which should make for some interesting on-set conversations. Beinbrink will reunite withThe Disappearance of Eleanor Rigbyco-stars McAvoy, Hader, and Chastain.
Barbara Muschietti,Roy LeeandDan Linreturn as producers, and the screenplay is written byGary Dauberman.
