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THE SUGGESTION BOX: Who Should Be Cast in Stephen King's 'IT'
Written by Greg McIver. Published: December 16 2014
A while back, it came to light
that Cary Fukunaga, the directorial genius behind
HBO’s "True Detective", had been tapped to direct a brand new
adaption of what many consider to be Stephen
King’s greatest novel, IT. We’ve also heard that
a new adaption of The Stand is in the works, with Matthew McConaughey being courted for the role of
Randall Flagg; and somewhere out in the realm of development hell, The Dark Tower series is waiting for someone brave enough
to rescue and distribute it. But ultimately it’s IT that
interests me the most, because I grew up with the incredibly
popular mini-series made back in 1990, and it is still the best
novel I’ve ever read by Stephen King.
For those not familiar with
the story, I’ll sum it up for you as briefly as I can. In the town
of Derry, located in Maine, little children are being slaughtered
by a powerful entity. This creature can take the shape of your
worst fears, but initially it tries to lure kids away by taking the
shape of a clown who calls himself Pennywise. Eventually, a group
of 7 children (The Losers Club) realize what is happening and band
together to stop IT. They think they have succeeded, and as the
years go by, the kids do what most kids do: they get older.
Eventually they discover that IT has returned, and the now-adult
members of The Losers Club must travel back to Derry once again to
put an end to IT’s reign of terror once and for all.
The only details that have
been released so far about this production is that the story will
be split into two movies (which is a good thing unless you want to
sit through a six-hour movie), and Stephen King himself has given
his blessing towards the project after reading the screenplay. Film
adaptations of King’s work have ranged from cinematic gold, like The Shawshank Redemption, to... things like The
Lawnmower Man, so it’s nice to hear that King is onboard with
this latest adaptation. But aside from those two details, we know
nothing else about the upcoming flick. Well, I guess it’s time to
take matters into my own hands then.
Below are my suggestions for
actors who could portray The Losers Club and Pennywise. I’ll just
be sticking with the grown-up versions of The Losers. I would also
like to give credit to my friends Rick Rodriguez and Nicholas
Civitello for helping to come up with some of the excellent
choices. I’ll explain more later.
Bill Denbrough:JOHN
CUSACK
This is sort of cheating since
Cusack already played a writer in another Stephen King adaptation, 1408. But I have literally been around the bend several
dozen times, and I keep coming back to him. Bill Denbrough is sort
of the unofficial leader of The Losers Club, if only for the fact
that his brother Georgie was killed by IT, which gives him a
personal stake in the matter. Cusack has effortlessly piloted many
Hollywood ventures over the years, and with IT, he could
bring the charm, darkness, wit, passion, anger, hurt, and
soulfulness that the character of Bill requires. If I left out any
descriptive qualities, please feel free to list them in the
comments section below. But seriously, that dark and wry persona of
his is just what the doctor ordered for this role.
Ben Hanscom: LIEV
SCHREIBER
I’ve also used Schreiber once
or twice before in some of my other hypothetical castings, but
dammit I just can’t help myself. He’s an amazing actor who could
bring some new and exciting things to the table in the role of Ben
Hanscom. Ben was very overweight as a child, and as a result, he
was bullied quite a bit. Through the years, though, he worked hard
to shed the pounds and to turn himself into a new man. Ben is a lot
like Bill in that he exudes a sort of nostalgic weariness that’s
coupled with a true nobility, and I for one think that Mr.
Schreiber would be the perfect person to capture those qualities
and bring them to life onscreen.
Richie Tozier: BILL
BURR
This bit of casting is so
genius, I wish I could actually take credit for it. My friends and
I were sitting around one night imagining our own casting for IT when things suddenly got silly and we started thinking
of only casting stand-up comedians for all of the roles. I don’t
know which of them suggested Bill Burr first, but it’s an excellent
choice as Richie Tozier as the smart-mouth of the group who
honestly wants nothing to do with the inevitable second battle with
IT. Ironically, it was Ritchie’s initial use of his crazy
imagination as a child that showed the other Losers that they could
possibly defeat IT in the first place. Burr has the intense energy
and vitriol that the character of Richie needs, and also the
capability of dialing that energy down for some of the more quieter
moments. I’ve stated before that Burr’s star is
on the rise, and playing the role of Richie would all but cement
his status as a real Hollywood player.
Eddie Kaspbrak: MICHAEL
STUHLBARG
As a child, Eddie was seen as
smaller and weaker than the other kids in his school, and his
asthma certainly didn’t make things any easier for him. He also had
to contend with an overbearing mother, and later in his adult life,
he inherits a fairly impressive Oedipal Complex by marrying a woman
who is emotionally the exact mirror image of his mother. If you’ve
seen Michael Stuhlbarg in the film A Serious Man, then
you’ll know why I think he’s great for this part. Don’t get me
wrong, Mr. Stuhlbarg has an impressive range that will surely make
him a cinematic force to be reckoned with in the years to come, but
his ability to the play the incredibly timid but incredibly
resolved Eddie Kaspbrak is just so obvious that it would be silly
to not take advantage of it.
Beverly Marsh: JENNIFER
CONNELLY
For the role of Beverly, a
strong actress is required who can demonstrate, like most of the
other Losers when you think about it, great vulnerability and great
strength at the same time. Beverly’s history with men outside the
Loser’s Club has always been troubled, and yet she is able to, time
and again, draw upon an inner energy in order to survive or battle
back. Jennifer Connelly has entrained audiences for years with her
soulful and haunting performances in such movies as Requiem for
a Dream, The House of Sand and Fog, and Noah. Beverly Marsh is a character of deep and complex
feelings, and while many actresses could do justice to the role, I
think that Connelly is the perfect fit.
Mike Hanlon: CUBA GOODING
JR.
Mike is the one member of The
Losers Club that stayed behind in the town of Derry. While the rest
of them left and became unusually successful in their adult lives,
Hanlon stayed put and kept a watchful eye over the town in case IT
were to return. More importantly, he kept the memories alive as
well, so when the rest of the group returned, he could fill in the
gaps of missing memory that seemed to have suddenly occurred to
them the second they left Derry behind. Cuba Gooding Jr. has proven
over the years that he is an actor capable of not only showing
great strength and depth, but with an excellent ability to listen
and draw strength from his fellow actors. Although famous for
winning an Oscar for his role in Jerry Maguire, I tend to
think that Cuba is at his best when he’s showing his calmer and
introspective side. Keeping that in mind, he is an excellent
candidate for the role of Mike Hanlon.
Stan Uris: PATTON
OSWALT
My friends and I also cast
Patton as well, but originally we thought of him for a different
role. Now, since this is a cast list that I would ACTUALLY like to
see happen, I have changed things up and passed the role of Stan
the Man to Patton the... Oswalt. This isn’t exactly the most
cheerful role for someone like Mr. Oswalt, who is easily the
funniest man working in comedy today. But we’ve seen Patton flex
his dramatic chops in the past with such films like Big
Fan and Young Adult, and while the role of Stan is
not very large, it’s one filled with vulnerability and sadness,
which I think, coming from Patton, would make it that much more
impactful. Out of all the members of The Losers Club, Stan is the
one least willing to believe in the existence of IT. This lack of
imagination is a severe handicap that will prove most unfortunate
in the future. Ironically, Oswalt has always been a person of great
imagination, and that is why I would like to see him go the
opposite direction and take on the more dour and grounded role of
Stan Uris.
Pennywise the Dancing
Clown: EDDIE IZZARD
I’ll let my friends tussle
over who said his name first, but it was something that we all
agreed upon the instant it was heard. Mr. Izzard is a talented
comedian who has always demonstrated a bit of a dark and seductive
quality coupled with tremendous energy. If given the opportunity,
Izzard can take those attributes of his and truly make Pennywise a
terrifying and memorable figure.
Whom would YOU like to see cast in the new IT movie?
(Photos via WENN)
- Greg McIver, YH
Staff