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THE SUGGESTION BOX: Who Should Be Cast in Stephen King's 'IT'
12-16-2014
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 forIT 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