Rarely does the decision fall to cast members to recast their older, future selves for the eventual sequel, butITcould be one such rare case. The kids who form the Losers Club in theStephen Kingadaptation have a tall task ahead of them, to make audiences fall in love with their characters, to care what happens to them, and to hope for their survival not only in this film but into adulthood for the inevitable (fingers crossed) sequel. These up-and-coming, rising stars get a chance to craft their characters for themselves inAndrés Muschietti’s horror adaptation, so why not let them cast their lots in for who should play their adult versions should they live to see a brighter day?
That’s exactly whatEWasked the Losers Club, a.k.a. Bill Denbrough (Jaeden Lieberher), big-boned Ben Hanscom (Jeremy Ray Taylor), comedian-in-training Richie Tozier (Finn Wolfhard), neatnik Stan Uris (Wyatt Oleff), historian Mike Hanlon (Chosen Jacobs), hypochondriac Eddie Kaspbrak (Jack Dylan Grazer) and tomboy Beverly Marsh (Sophia Lillis). Their answers are actually really, really good, but some of them might be reaching a bit beyond budgetary restrictions. I have no doubt thatITis going to be a box office juggernaut when it opens September 8th, which will certainly help to widen the casting net for the sequel, but this dreamcast would be one of the priciest ones ever seen.
Before we get to the chosen adult versions of the Losers Club 27 years later–and somespoilerswill follow–be sure to get caught up with all our recentITnews provided at the following links:
Bill Denbrough
Bill is the de facto leader of the Losers Club due to his confidence and the driving force of the story’s conflict: the death/disappearance of his little brother, Georgie. Despite his stutter and his clever nickname of “Stuttering Bill”, the other Losers are patient with Bill when he’s doling out information or plans of attack. This confidence serves him well in adulthood where he establishes himself as a successful writer and even marries a movie star. The choice for adult Bill?Christian Bale.
While I applaud Lieberher’s boldness to go for an Oscar-winner to play his older self, I can’t imagine Bale leading anITsequel. He’s notorious for his intense, hyper-focused, method style of acting which doesn’t exactly lend itself to a leadership role; I just can’t see the other six members of the Losers club rallying around Bale’s Bill. I’m already irritated just thinking about his take on the stutter rather than feeling sympathetic towards the character because of it. Maybe it’s just me. What say you? Bale for Bill, or no?
Ben Hanscom
Ben is the one character who goes through the most obvious physical transformation from childhood to adulthood. Nicknamed “Haystack”, Ben’s size belies his quiet nature and his interest in architecture, specifically that of the town’s library. His engineering skills come in handy when the Losers battle both Pennywise and school bullies, but Ben really puts them to work for him when he becomes a world-famous architect as an adult. He also sheds that extra adolescent weight as he grows into adulthood, something that Ray Taylor’s choice knows a little something about:Chris Pratt.
While Pratt’s own physical transformation mimics Ben’s, I’m on the fence with this one. The star of theJurassic WorldandGuardians of the Galaxyfranchise is certainly marketable, but his characters are at their best when they’re more blue collar braggarts than introspective geniuses. Ben’s got a little bit of both going on, but I think Pratt’s a little too brash to nail the character’s nuances. It’s another opportunity for an actor to show his range however, so I’d like to see Pratt prove me wrong. What do you think?
Beverly Marsh
The Losers' lone female member, Beverly–an attractive tomboy character with shocking red hair, of course–finds herself the object of affection for the six boys at various times. The movie will wisely skip over the most controversial part of the book involving these relationships, but it stands that Beverly herself will need to deal with those advances (wanted and otherwise) throughout her young life. Her slingshot skills and tough-as-nails nature allows her to survive her father’s abuses as a child and become a successful fashion designer in Chicago, though abuse remains a factor even into adulthood. It’s no surprise that Lillis chose a strong, dramatically gifted, red-headed actor to play adult Beverly:Jessica Chastain.
Twice Oscar-nominated Chastain isn’t afraid to mix it up in genre fair, likeCrimson Peakand the spooky Muschietti movieMama; there’s already a director/actor shorthand here. She’s also going full-cosmic in theX-Men: Dark Phoenixmovie as the Shi’ar Empress Lilandra, so a down-to-Earth dip back into small-town horror might just be what she’s looking for in the years ahead. There’s also the fact that Beverly becomes the female lead for the sequel, opposite Bill Denbrough, a role Chastain could do backwards and blindfolded. I’m in, but what about you? Let us know!
Richie Tozier
Wolfhard is already set as Richie, the Losers' glasses-wearing, wise-cracking jokester who goes by the nickname of Trashmouth in the book. His penchant for doing impersonations and never shutting up got him beaten up a lot as a kid but earned him a paying position as a Los Angeles DJ as an adult. Swap the glasses for contacts and keep the off-beat sense of humor and you’ve got Wolfhard’s choice to play the adult version of Richie:Bill Hader.
This is inspired casting, is it not? I’d love to see Hader in a horror film if only to see what that would look like. Hader might actually betoofunny to see in this role; he’d have to tone down the humor a bit and put on his dramatic hat for some of the horror sequel’s most serious sequences. This would be an amazing opportunity for Hader to show off his range, but it would only work if he really wanted to embrace that opportunity. Could you take him seriously in the role? Let us know in the comments!
Mike Hanlon
In the book, Mike is the last to join the Losers Club and their only African-American member. Despite going to a different school than the other kids, he has a deep connection to the history of Derry thanks in part to his dad’s stories. That knowledge not only helps the Losers Club in their battle against Pennywise, it helps Mike land a job as the town librarian when he grows up. And if Jacobs' casting choice is followed up on, Derry will find itself with the sexiest librarian ever, played byChadwick Boseman. Reach for the stars!
Boseman has already played baseball legendJackie Robinson, music legendJames Brown, comic legend Black Panther, and will soon play legal legendThurgood Marshall. Oh and he once played an Egyptian god figure, so there’s that. TheITsequel could give Boseman an excellent chance to play a relatively quiet, toned-down, everyman whose favorite pastime is studying local town history. He also plays a pivotal role in getting the gang back together once the rest of the adults have left town; Boseman could clearly shoulder this responsibility. Can you see Boseman playing a small-town librarian? Share your thoughts below!
Stanley Uris
The most cautious, skeptical, and neat member of the group, who also happens to be Jewish, Stanley keeps the Losers from going completely overboard in extreme situations. His logic and practical mind come in handy for the group’s adventures and lead him onto a path toward becoming an accountant in a large firm as an adult. What sort of neat and tidy actor does Oleff see portraying his older self?Joseph Gordon-Levitt.
It’s been a minute since we’ve seen JGL on the big screen; he’s been busy doing his own brand of creative filmmaking and storytelling. Willing to take on a variety of roles, Gordon-Levitt would be a fine version of Stanley, whose vague memories and unexplained fear of the events in Derry haunt him well into adulthood, moreso than the other members of the Losers Club. Stan does his part to get the gang back together and think JGL could nail that responsibility. How about you?
Eddie Kaspbrak
Unfortunately Dylan Grazer wasn’t in attendance to let EW know who he thought should play Eddie as an adult; he’s seen above as the character with the cast on his arm. In the books, Eddie is a hypochondriac and asthmatic thanks in part to his overbearing mother’s worrisome nature. He survives all of that–and the foul plans of Pennywise–to become the owner of a successful limousine company as an adult.
But since Dylan Grazer didn’t get to suggest an older version of himself, I’m going to go with the relatively new name,Griffin Newman. He’s been around a bit, mostly on the TV side of things, but is an absolute delight as the beleaguered and nervous Arthur Everest on Amazon’s new live-action seriesThe Tick. Yeah, I know it’s a weird pick but I think Newman could kill it in this role. What do you think?
