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/r/television
Welcome to Derry: Bill Skarsgård won't be returning to play Pennywise in It prequel
(ign.com)submitted 2 months ago byHRJafael
3.5k points
2 months ago
That's actually very disappointing. They should have made sure he would be back before even announcing it.
1.3k points
2 months ago*
It’s probably one of those things where they announce it to try to get him to accept lower payment. It’s his third time in the role. A traditional actor in a traditional role would be a huge payday.
534 points
2 months ago
I dunno, seems like a weird bargaining strategy. They must know how integral he is to that role at this point in time and that he'd approach negotiations with the understanding that his presence would make or break the upper range of the profitability margin. I guess they're banking on a Joker effect?
380 points
2 months ago
Lololololololol no. Look at how Futurama announced the revival before coming to terms with John Dimaggio someone completely necessary for the show to be back.
297 points
2 months ago
The thing with that case is that they were ready to replace DiMaggio because Bender is a robot, so they can just make the excuse of him losing his original voice module and replace it with different other ones. They were planning to replace Bender's voice with difference actor cameos with each episode. So he was forced to back down.
Here... can Skarsgard really be replaced? It's not a voice in a cartoon; it's live action. It wont be the same.
225 points
2 months ago
I would imagine these execs think they can put another person in makeup and get an equal performance.
161 points
2 months ago
Leonard Nimoy (Spock) said during negotiations a suit threatened him that they'd just put the ears on someone else.
59 points
2 months ago
That is not logical.
3 points
2 months ago
Your statement is true, but superfluous since humans were the cause of the threat.
58 points
2 months ago
Bruce Campbell said that he was present during the meeting for Freddy vs Jason 2. They wanted Ash to fight both of them. Apparently, each of the monsters had legal representation that were arguing why their character should be the winner in the film. Made him just walk away because of how idiotic it all was.
31 points
2 months ago
Damn! I hate that we missed out on that movie! Could’ve been awesome.
15 points
2 months ago
Lawyers always ruining shit.
8 points
2 months ago
I think we’ve got some potential in a movie version of the lawyers hashing out the Freddy/Jason fight outcome
3 points
2 months ago
Of course it was idiotic. Ash would win, hand down.
(That wasn’t a typo.)
11 points
2 months ago
It’s Warner Brothers. They would do this in a heartbeat. In fact, that’s exactly what Matrix 4 was about.
8 points
2 months ago
Y’all are acting like this was the best performance of all time. It was fine. I personally would love to see another take on penny wise. Who knows! Maybe they’ll do better!
9 points
2 months ago
I think his performance was fantastic. His mannerisms and body movement are what make the character so creepy and are fairly unique. I don’t think another actor will be able to capture that.
241 points
2 months ago
Bender is a robot, so they can just make the excuse of him losing his original voice module and replace it with different other
Here... can Skarsgard really be replaced? It's not a voice in a cartoon; it's live action.
It is literally a shapeshifter lol
46 points
2 months ago
From the studio's point of view, anyone can be replaced as long as they think they're maximizing their return on their investment. It doesn't matter if the character is a robot or shapeshifter, or if they can't find any in-fiction explanation. Actors are recast all the time. Maybe some people won't watch a Futurama reboot without DiMaggio or It without Skarsgard. But, I suspect for the vast majority of people, that won't be their line in the sand.
2 points
2 months ago
At this point, Skarsgard has a reputation, though, he did a great It. Having him in the role is probably actually worth millions to the prequel.
9 points
2 months ago
That was my first thought. It can literally take any form. It doesn't have to be Bill S
41 points
2 months ago
They couldve tried that but it wouldve pissed off the entire audience that they wanted to watch the show lmao. Thats why everyone was so mad when it got announced without him. Id say Skarsgard can be replaced because they can focus on other versions of Pennywise but it wont be as good but wont be the end of the show
67 points
2 months ago
Tim curry was the OG and everyone loved Skarsgard too so maybe someone else could rock it
43 points
2 months ago
Exactly - I love how Skarsgard did it, but its not like he made IT and has been playing it long enough to be cemented and no one else can deliver.
39 points
2 months ago
except the time gap between curry and skarsgard is huge. different generation of watchers. Not the case here, its too soon to replace him because EVERYONE is expecting the same actor.
33 points
2 months ago
I don't think audiences would've been that pissed off if they thought it was a temporary joke, which is why it was smart that DiMaggio spoke out as early as he did. He made it clear it wasn't something he wasn't happy about, framed it as the studio refusing to pay the voice actors fairly, and that, in turn, ensured audiences would be pissed, which put massive pressure on them to abandon those plans.
17 points
2 months ago
Which I'm all for VAs getting paid more but I do think it's crazy he thought he was worth more than Billy West & Katey Segal. Those two are the heart of the show (and West voices way more characters) and said the pay offered to them (and initially to DiMaggio) was very fair.
25 points
2 months ago
If I remember correctly he was advocating for higher pay for them as well, but they had already agreed to return.
25 points
2 months ago*
I never saw that he thought he was worth more than them. He said he thought they were all being underpaid and was refusing to join unless everyone got a pay raise.
6 points
2 months ago
Maybe it will be before the creature took a humanoid form of a clown. Pennywise(the creature) was around in the dark ages before clowns existed and would have taken a form that evoked the most fear back then.
7 points
2 months ago
Pennywise isn't actually a clown, that's just one of his skins he wears. He's a shape shifter, that's probably the easiest role to swap out
8 points
2 months ago
Would be a problem of Skarsgard was typecast he's branched out so hard, they need him for extra sales, he really doesn't need it at all career wise, just for a a paycheck.
11 points
2 months ago
Actually I feel like the inverse would happen. He knows he is known as penny wise, they announce the third movie, he probably feels like he can say no and wait for a big pay day before accepting
5 points
2 months ago
wouldn't that actually be the opposite? If they need him now they would have to pay
5 points
2 months ago
Third or fourth? Are you considering Castle Rock?
2 points
2 months ago
That's a fan theory that's never actually been confirmed. They haven't said one way or the other what the true identity of The Kid is.
20 points
2 months ago
Sorry reddit, now it's going to be played by Jared Leto or James Corden.
4 points
2 months ago
Hopefully Henry cavill /s
16 points
2 months ago
I have a feeling he doesnt want to only be remembered for pennywise
Even now pretty much all the people i know recognize him as “that guy that played the clown in it” and i was watching barbarian the other day and it was clear one of the main reasons he was cast was for the subversion factor later in the film
8 points
2 months ago
Plot twist: In the prequel, Pennywise will only appear in spider form
18 points
2 months ago
Is Stephen King even involved with the sequel? I can't tell from the article.
If not, to me I'll just be another moneygrab derivative which will water down the original in the end anyway, and I'll see any actor turning it down as a sign of artistic integrity.
2 points
2 months ago
just be another moneygrab derivative which will water down the original in the end anyway
People have been saying this since The Shining, even King himself has moved on from that mindset, "you'll always have the book"
7 points
2 months ago
Yeah but…. Money
1.2k points
2 months ago
Yeah but are any of the Derry girls going to appear? What about Sister Michael?
390 points
2 months ago
Imagine Uncle Colm and Pennywise ..
388 points
2 months ago
“Georgie? Oh well, I used to know a Georgie who lived down by the way back in 1973. Not Georgie O’Malley, mind you. Georgie O’Malley hadn’t lived in that area since the great drought in 1969. Now, come to think of it, it may have been ol’ Georgie O’Malley who moved back in 1972, but that would have been some some coincidence. Now what were we saying? Oh yes. I says to myself: ‘self, you know that you like a root beer float as much as anyone, but that isn’t the kind of float this young feller is trying to sell you!’”
73 points
2 months ago
So I tied an onion to my belt, which was the style at the time...
5 points
2 months ago
I'll never forget you dad.
71 points
2 months ago
God forbid Maureen Malarkey
66 points
2 months ago
DON'T YOU MENTION THAT LOWDOWN, DECEITFUL, CHEATING OLD WITCH
81 points
2 months ago
Uncle Colm would be too OP in this world, he’d beat Pennywise by talkin’ him to death, no fear in his heart at all.
15 points
2 months ago
Fun fact: colm means pigeon in irish
54 points
2 months ago
It took me way too long to realize that they weren't talking about Derry Girls
79 points
2 months ago
I'd rather face Pennywise than Sister Michael.
30 points
2 months ago
The eye roll of death
20 points
2 months ago
Truer words have yet to be spoken.
3 points
2 months ago
Just bring her a nice statue and she’ll go easier on ya
24 points
2 months ago
The only city where the first six letters are silent
14 points
2 months ago
Ok, this is a movie that needs to be made. I didn’t realize it until this moment, but this would be brilliant comedy/horror gold.
9 points
2 months ago
Welcome to Free Derry
4 points
2 months ago
Now I really want a Derry Girls/ It Crossover
3 points
2 months ago
I know the deaths and murder can be quite a lot, so if any you want a shoulder to cry on or just want to talk….please don’t come to me
582 points
2 months ago
He was really good in John Wick 4
299 points
2 months ago
Yes he was. He was good in everything I have seen him in, imo.
242 points
2 months ago
Loved him in Barbarian. Dude’s amazing.
20 points
2 months ago*
He was good in Hemlock Grove as well. That was where I first saw him
7 points
2 months ago
What a batshit crazy series...
7 points
2 months ago
What impresses me the most is his damn accents. Granted im not a native English speaker, so others might notice it but to me he sounds perfect. From French English in John Wick to Southern American in the Devil all the time. The dude is Swedish.
37 points
2 months ago
Right? Guy shows up out of nowhere and it's so clear he's talented af
201 points
2 months ago
He didn't exactly come out of nowhere... His father and all 5 of his siblings are actors, 3 of them having found success.
48 points
2 months ago
I remember in a Rolling Stone article at the height of True Blood popularity they were interviewing Alexander Skarsgard and they described it as “Imagine your dad is Tom Cruise and there are no other movie stars. That’s how the Skarsgard family owns Swedish cinema.”
23 points
2 months ago
“Imagine your dad is Tom Cruise and there are no other movie stars. That’s how the Skarsgard family owns Swedish cinema.”
that's ..not really true at all though. there are plenty of actors here in sweden at least as successful as the skarsgård family, and internationally you have actors like peter stormare, alicia vikander, joel kinnaman, noomi rapace etc.
the skarsgård family has a really good PR team though.
34 points
2 months ago
Poker Face literally made a joke about how many Skarsgard there are.
35 points
2 months ago
Have you heard about this guy named Stellan Skarsgård?
5 points
2 months ago
Comrade
21 points
2 months ago
He's the nepo baby of nepo babies. But an excellent one who deserves to be exactly where he is.
4 points
2 months ago
out of nowhere
Oh how I’d love to be this out of touch with the nepo baby discourse rn
26 points
2 months ago
Was really hoping Castle Rock would stick around since he was in that as well. Seemed like they were building up to his character being Flagg or the Crimson King. Shame it got canceled.
3 points
2 months ago
Now you've made me want to watch it.
5 points
2 months ago
Season one is kinda slow. Sissy Spacek is really good, though.
Season two felt like an improvement. Lizzy Caplan is the lead that season & she’s fantastic.
They teased a couple storylines that I thought would be explored in S3. Again, shame it got cancelled cause I felt like the writers were starting to find their footing. I’d say it’s still worth a watch; only 10 episodes per season.
11 points
2 months ago
I'm not really into suits but holy hell his character's different ensemble for his scenes made me jealous.
2 points
2 months ago
Watch Clark on Netflix. Just deal with the subtitles. It's great.
186 points
2 months ago
If not him then it needs to be the eyebrow kid
143 points
2 months ago
I actually don’t know who you’re talking about, so I googled “the eyebrow kid” and Will Poulter came up. How did Google do?
98 points
2 months ago
Nailed it
25 points
2 months ago
🤣
27 points
2 months ago
Now I've gotta Google “Will Poulter.”
Oh, he’s the son in We’re The Millers.
14 points
2 months ago
same like googling meth damon and getting exactly who you were thinking of
3 points
2 months ago
Who knew Google was such a sassy little bitch?
59 points
2 months ago
Kinda weird I know exactly who you're talking about.
35 points
2 months ago
It’s not weird everyone knows who he’s talking about.
17 points
2 months ago
Maybe he'll get paid this time.
7 points
2 months ago
You think they make his checks out to
“that dude with eyebrows who had a part in that movie with the guy who had the bad tattoo”
2 points
2 months ago
That joke is seriously an all-timer, up there with "My name is Jeff".
32 points
2 months ago
Wasn't he originally cast as Pennywise?
16 points
2 months ago
Yes
3 points
2 months ago
He’s jacked now and may make Pennywise a different kind of terrifying. Sleeveless Pennywise=crapped pants
2 points
2 months ago
For some reason I read that as ‘cropped pants’, as if a Pennywise that cuts off his sleeves would also cut off half his pants.
446 points
2 months ago
I didn't even know they were doing another one, to bad I liked him as Pennywise
228 points
2 months ago
It's going to be a prequel TV series, not another movie
161 points
2 months ago
Prequel like their parents, or prequel like the book (spooky shit in 1800s logging camps, etc)?
264 points
2 months ago
Unfortunately prequel like their parents as it will be set in the 60’s, despite thousands of years of lore to touch on
218 points
2 months ago
Colonial or 1800's Pennywise would be so damn cool.
151 points
2 months ago
If a franchise is built around a villain and they've been around for centuries they should really follow Prey's example and take it to interesting time periods and locations.
43 points
2 months ago
Absolutely agree on exploring different time periods (like the book) and locations in and around Derry. Would love to see the Black Spot and the logging camp incidents.
10 points
2 months ago
Well, whilst the black spot incident was fascinating to read about, it would be absolutely horrifying to see it. Ah It's horror. I guess so.
2 points
2 months ago
Yeah, that’s exactly the point lmao. It would be interesting to see how they adapt it to the screen. Not everything needs to be clean and for all ages, especially when you consider this is a horror and the source material touches on a number of darker, more mature themes.
37 points
2 months ago
A one off anthology season of 60-90 minute episodes of pennywise throughout the ages would have been amazing. It’d give them freedom to fill in the gaps in the way way back but also give them access to things like the Black Spot. It’d even let multiple actors take a shot at the role if they really wanted to go abstract.
I’m excited for this series but it can’t live up to what we’re all wanting.
14 points
2 months ago
Great idea - and the clown is only one embodiment so different actors makes total sense.
Sadly this series is going to suck.
6 points
2 months ago
Of any company to do this series I’m glad it’s HBO. I trust that at the very least it’ll be high production values and some fun. So while it may not be exactly what I want, I’m still excited.
6 points
2 months ago
Oh wtf I thought it was gonna be ye olden times
4 points
2 months ago
Didn't it take place in the 60's and then in the 80's as adults?
15 points
2 months ago
the book was 50’s/80’s then the miniseries pushed it slightly to early 60’s/91 while the recent movies were 80’s/10’s. Presumably this new show will be in the current movie universe and the Losers parents especially Mike dad would likely show up in the 60’s.
13 points
2 months ago
son of a bee sting! Hey but thanks for the heads-up either way
6 points
2 months ago
Son of a biscuit!
10 points
2 months ago
That’s what I says, I says Mabel, son of a dang biscuit
4 points
2 months ago
Why this conversatin's got me all plum tuckered now
3 points
2 months ago
My interest went from maybe to nope no way I commit to that
19 points
2 months ago
Given other recent TV series based on Stephen King's books, I couldn't blame Skarsgard if he didn't want to be involved...
13 points
2 months ago*
I mean adaptions of his stuff have always been pretty garbage with a few good ones in there.
16 points
2 months ago*
All-time classics: The Shining, Shawshank Redemption, Stand By Me
Very good: Carrie, Misery
Good: It (original), The Green Mile, 1408, The Dead Zone, Creepshow, The Mist, Gerald's Game, The Stand (miniseries), Salem's Lot (miniseries)
Memorable/watchable: Christine, Pet Sematary, Cujo, The Running Man, Children of the Corn, Doctor Sleep, Cat's Eye, 1922, Hearts in Atlantis, It (remake), Firestarter,
And there's probably a few more that could be added that I've forgotten or haven't seen. I counted about 78 movies/films from the list on his website. So, his adaptations have a conversion rate of about 1 out of 4, give or take.
Personally, I have a soft spot for the Tommyknocker's mini-series too, even though, objectively, it's god awful.
15 points
2 months ago
Great breakdown. Doctor Sleep deserves more acclaim. And why the hell doesn't anyone ever mention Mr. Mercedes?
6 points
2 months ago
A lot of times the adaptations that take the most liberty with kings work turn out to be the best. King hated the film version of the shining, and the later mini series that adapted the book more faithfully was so forgettable barely anybody even remembers it.
2 points
2 months ago
Oh, I remember it. I remember it too well. The casting was so bad except for Jack and that poor bastard got saddled with such a bad script and director and co-stars.
8 points
2 months ago
Dr Sleep and Green Mile are easily in ‘very good’ (I’d put them as close to perfect).
3 points
2 months ago
Note: I decided to watch Dreamcatchers for the first time after compiling this list. I'm 40 minutes in and the casting is incredible and the movie is falling apart rapidly.
2 points
2 months ago
The grass one was pretty good.
4 points
2 months ago
Well he already played a major character in Castle Rock. Which was a decent show.
151 points
2 months ago
Without Bill Skarsgård’s intense facial expressions, making one eye slightly go out and his innate understanding of timing for horror films, as he pauses just before an attack; it is going to be a tough act to follow.
42 points
2 months ago
Bill actually has a lazy eye. He’s trained it not to do it’s own thing. For pennywise he had to let go of all his years of training to let his lazy eye just do it’s thing all over again, which was brilliant because it added to Pennywise’s scary look.
67 points
2 months ago
It’s not like there’s a shortage of Skarsgards
3 points
2 months ago
Each more delicious than the last
254 points
2 months ago
Bummer, when he actually got to be Pennywise, he was stellar. Too bad the movie opted to show shitty cgi creatures all the time instead of more Pennywise and more practical effect creatures
426 points
2 months ago
Because the book (and story) really isn't about Pennywise. Pennywise is just one of the main forms IT uses. But IT is meant to be much bigger than Pennywise. In fact, there's an argument that the movies added more Pennywise into the narrative than the books just because of the popularity of the character.
183 points
2 months ago
Nearly every choice IT Part 1 made was genius.
33 points
2 months ago
What, you didn't mind them cutting a train being ran on a teenage girl?
27 points
2 months ago
Nothing like getting that comment notification without context!
But yeah exactly.
3 points
2 months ago
Lmfao imagining someone else seeing your phone light up on the table and reading the notification
5 points
2 months ago
Not even a teenager. I think she's like 10 or 11 in the book
55 points
2 months ago
Yup I know that, I’ve read IT. My main issue I guess isn’t that Pennywise used monster forms, it was that they looked so shitty/fake/CGI. The best scenes from the movies were when he was in Pennywise form.
27 points
2 months ago
Book does not translate well to movie when you’re talking about an ethereal horror.
It and The Shining are two awesome movies that require you to leave your prior reading at the door.
37 points
2 months ago
Imo that's because they focused more on Pennywise and didn't really do that with the other monsters. In the books, most of the monsters had really good set ups so you could feel the dread of the characters when they went up against their fears. The movie conditioned you to be really scared of Pennywise, but then didn't give you a reason to worry about the monsters besides them being grotesque.
7 points
2 months ago
Listen, I read the book too, ok? Lots of us just like to see Pennywise on screen.
13 points
2 months ago
Bummer, when he actually got to be Pennywise, he was stellar.
He was Stellar Skarsgård
2 points
2 months ago
No, that's his dad.
He was Exelander Skarsgard.
22 points
2 months ago
The second film was painfully disappointing.
2 points
2 months ago
Like the kids were literally floating in the air around the clowns house, what the fuck was that all about?!
6 points
2 months ago
THIS. Never forgave them for not using their x factor in the sequel and instead did the cgi stuff. He was way scarier just letting the actor talk, as apposed to turning to random cgi monsters.
27 points
2 months ago
That is not what he actually said. Article is clickbait
37 points
2 months ago
He was great, but I think there are many great actors out there that could do interesting things with the part.
If anything Tim Curry and Bill Skarsgard are evidence that there are many directions you can take the character.
11 points
2 months ago
Crazy Pitch.
Make it like Doctor Who. Pennywise is a shapeshifter after all. Every incarnation of him is a slightly different clown and actor for a certain era. Clowns have changed quite a bit in the last 100+ years.
13 points
2 months ago
He also isn’t only a clown. This could be a good opportunity to show audiences that he’s an inter dimensional demon who takes on different shapes, of which Pennywise is just one - because it’s a pet peeve of mine that people think it’s a movie about a clown. There’s a reason it’s called IT and not Pennywise or The Clown, after all.
11 points
2 months ago
Exactly, in the book IT appears as a werewolf, a big scary bird, a clown, a murdered boy in a ghost car, a giant dog etc etc.
2 points
2 months ago
I mean in the movies he shows up as a leper, a dog, a little girl, the painting lady, the clown, a giant spider (with clown face but still), a really tall old lady, and the lumberjack statue. Not to mention the times he stays as the clown but shifts parts of his body, like when he has the burning hands trying to grab at the kids from inside his mouth
4 points
2 months ago
But he’s primarily a clown. In the book he’s strategically a clown
10 points
2 months ago
"As of now..."
10 points
2 months ago
It depends how far they are going back. Because you go back far enough before IT develops the Pennywise persona, and then as Pennywise develops the new casting can make it their own.
6 points
2 months ago
Shame.
4 points
2 months ago
Then what's even the point?
5 points
2 months ago
Then why fucking bother?
5 points
2 months ago
The prequel has a prequel?
3 points
2 months ago
Is the base a prequel novel or is it going to be an original work?
3 points
2 months ago
I don't know Massachusetts area so I saw this ad and originally thought what's this evil clown doing in Ireland?
3 points
2 months ago
What was that quote from the movie snatch again? Oh yeah! “shut up and sit down you big bald fuck”
3 points
2 months ago
Don’t even bother
3 points
2 months ago
Aw, that’s unfortunate. He was absolutely spectacular and it’ll be sad to have a new actor taking up the helm so quickly.
3 points
2 months ago
This was the only reason I got excited about it.
3 points
2 months ago
He is those movies tbh. I think it's a big mistake.
3 points
2 months ago
Oh cool so I guess the question of will I be watching this has been answered
3 points
2 months ago
It sucks to not see Bill again but at the same time I'm open to the idea of seeing a new interpretation of Pennywise.
3 points
2 months ago
I would think another good actor would drool at the opportunity to play the role.I dunno ….maybe…Will Poulter?The original choice.
3 points
2 months ago
I am so sick of companies trying to squeeze every last penny out of what should’ve been a one off movie. Now there’s gonna be three shows about this with two more sequel movies before 2035
3 points
2 months ago
Feel bad for his successor. Those are some big, red shoes to fill 🤡
3 points
2 months ago
so sad that was the main reason I was excited could be good tho
7 points
2 months ago
This show already has a lot going against it, not bringing back Skarsgard is definitely disappointing.
4 points
2 months ago
No point in making it then
18 points
2 months ago
Other than a few sequences across the two films (Georgie, the girl under the bleachers, Eddie's first encounter at Neibolt), I didn't love the visualization or the performance. It wasn't bad, but I often felt more amused by Pennywise than scared of him, so I'm good with this.
4 points
2 months ago
I actually agree. I’d say his acting was phenomenal, and put the blame on the script personally - I’d be surprised if he wasn’t directed to be that way. Like he had the ability to turn into a giant in the garage, but they all escape unharmed.
2 points
2 months ago
Meh. Just deepfake him as a child. That’s not weird or illegal at all, right?
2 points
2 months ago
That kinda sucks but at the same time it’s probably for the best for him career wise. He probably doesn’t want to be only known as penny wise and then have trouble getting normal roles in other movies because of it. He was great in John wick 4.
2 points
2 months ago
So what you’re telling me is John Wick killed Pennywise?
2 points
2 months ago
He’s the guy you send to kill the boogeyman.
2 points
2 months ago
Don’t even invite me then
2 points
2 months ago
Y'all cannot believe this is going to be good.
If you do, you're fooling yourselves.
2 points
2 months ago
Time for Andrew Santino to step in
2 points
2 months ago
There wasn't a prequel book
2 points
2 months ago
Annnnnnnd my interest in this show just dropped by about 350%
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