The record breaking success of the It movie at the box office means that the long-touted sequel is now a certainty. Director Andy Muschietti and his team of producers and writers clearly always planned for a follow-up. They teased it right at the end of “It”, and Stephen King’s novel is perfectly structured for two films, too.
New comments from producer Dan Lin suggest that there might be more than one sequel in the pipeline, though. That’s because Lin recently admitted to me that the creative team behind the future of the “It” franchise are currently examining all their options for how to expand the “vast universe.”
“I can’t say anything yet,” Lin responded when I quizzed him about “It: Chapter 2” during our phone interview. However, his subsequent comments suggested that they have huge plans for the franchise: “All I can say is that we’re thrilled with how audiences responded, and it’s a vast universe and we’re currently working hard trying to figure out how to proceed.”
Now, here’s the thing: if the plan was to just make “It: Chapter 2,” Lin would almost certainly have just referred to a single film. But instead Lin’s reference to the “vast universe” of “It” and Pennywise The Dancing Clown certainly suggest that discussions are already under way for how to make many more films in this world.
That’s completely understandable, too. The record-breaking opening weekend haul of over $180 million proved that audiences had a huge interest in “It” and this world, and the film sets up not only a sequel but also a prequel: the character of Ben Hanscom discovered that Pennywise has a long history of wanton destruction in Derry.
Warner Bros and New Line Cinema will be eager to explore this across a number of follow-ups, while the financial successes of the “Paranormal Activity” and “Saw” franchises prove just how profitable they can be. Whether the potential sequels would be able to re-create the critical triumph of “It” is another question entirely.
