Any film adaptation of a cherished book runs the risk of letting down the source material, and that risk is doubled when it’s not even the first adaptation.
Stephen King’s 1986 novel It was turned into a TV miniseries back in 1990, but it has taken nearly three decades for it to come to the big screen.
The stakes are high, therefore, with a lot of pressure on the cult horror classic to impress fans.
And, indeed, to impress King himself, who famously claimed to hate Stanley Kubrick’s film adaptation of his novel The Shining.
Thankfully, though, King has admitted to being pleasantly surprised by the latest adaptation.
The 2017 version of It, featuring Bill Skarsgård as the clown Pennywise and Stranger Things star Finn Wolfhard, has already received some glowing feedback from the 69-year-old author.
“I had hopes, but I was not prepared for how good it really was,” King said.
“It’s something that’s different, and at the same time it’s something that audiences are going to relate to and they’re going to like the characters.
“To me it’s all about character – if you like the characters you care, and then the scares generally work.”
He spoke highly of Skarsgård, saying the Atomic Blonde actor was “great as Pennywise”.
“He’s got big shoes to fill, let’s face it, because people remember Tim Curry [star of the TV adaptation] as Pennywise the clown, and they remember the look that Pennywise had.”
It is set for a UK release on 8 September, and may eventually end up as a duology. The original novel was split into narratives involving the same characters nearly 30 years apart, though adult versions of the teenage actors in this year’s film are yet to be cast.
(Images: Rex Features)
