The new adaptation of Stephen King‘s horror tale It has hit a major snag, as director Cary Fukunaga (“True Detective,” Jane Eyre) has left the project.
The Wrap broke the news, reporting Fukunaga and New Line came to a passing of the ways about the film. Fukunaga reportedly was unhappy with the film’s budget issues – issues he felt would put a damper on his ability to make the film as he saw fit.
It had been prepped for a summer start, with The Maze Runner star Will Poulter set to play the villainous Pennywise the Clown. The film was envisioned as a two-parter, with part one focused on the children from the King novel and part two focused on the grown-up versions of said kids, following their lives with a story that begins 30 years earlier as the group comes together over summer break to take on the monster that’s haunting their town, battling their own personal monsters in the process.
The report also revealed Fukunaga originally wanted to cast Ben Mendelsohn as Pennywise, but New Line was concerned over the payday for the actor, which somewhat conflicts with the Poulter casting announcement, which said Fukunaga couldn’t say no to the young star after being blown away by hiss audition for the part and felt he was the right choice for the role. The director had also wished to shoot the film in New York, a more-costly location.
Following the departure, Fukunaga will transition on to other projects. His next film, Beasts of No Nation, will get a worldwide rollout in theaters and on Netflix sometime this year.
For now, the project will be put on the back burner. It is unknown if Poulter will remain attached to the project, although The Wrap notes that a new casting search would likely be carried out by the new director. A future It might stay put as one single movie, which The Wrap believes would ultimately be New Line’s aim.
It has been brought to life once before as a miniseries that aired on ABC in 1990. Tim Curry played Pennywise in that adaptation.
