The forthcoming It sequel, titled Chapter Two, will run for nearly three hours, its director Andy Muschietti has confirmed.
The sequel, which stars James McAvoy, Jessica Chastain and Bill Hader as some of the adult versions of the first film’s pre-teen ensemble, is therefore half an hour longer than the 2017 original, which clocked in at 135 minutes.
Speaking to Digital Spy, Muschietti additionally teased that there is an even longer director’s cut of the movie sitting in an editing room somewhere. “You cannot deliver a 4-hour movie because people will start to feel uncomfortable—no matter what they see—, but we ended up having a movie that is 2 hours and 45 minutes, and the pacing is very good,” he said.
“We will be putting out a director’s cut because this time it definitely merits it,” producer Barbara Muschietti added. “We have some amazing scenes that didn’t make it into the movie. You have to make choices sometimes and some things cannot be in this theatrical release but are definitely worthy of people seeing them at a later date.”
Hopes are high that It: Chapter Two will match the critical and commercial acclaim of its predecessor. Grossing $700 million worldwide, the first film currently ranks as the most successful Stephen King adaptation, and the most successful horror film of all time – only beaten by 1973’s The Exorcist if its box office takings of $441 million were adjusted for inflation.
It: Chapter Two is released 6 September.
