The 'It' Sequel Just Got A Release Date, And We're Going To Be Waiting A While

After terrorizing big screens everywhere, the new adaptation of Stephen King's demon clown horror story It has shattered box office records. It's safe to say that moviegoers are more than ready for the next chapter in the two-part movie series, but it sounds like they're going to have to wait longer than they may have thought to see Pennywise dance back onto movie screens. The IT Chapter 2 release date has officially been announced, and it's a long time from now.

Thankfully, we're not going to have to wait a full 27 years for It to resurface, but it will be about two years before the second chapter hits theaters. Warner Bros. and New Line Cinema announced via The Hollywood Reporter that the highly anticipated It sequel won't land in theaters until Sept. 6, 2019. That's almost exactly two years after the first movie was released on Sept. 8 of this year. This is a bit of a shock to most fans, who were assuming the sequel would come out towards the end of 2018. But after how chilling and well-executed the first movie was, I'm sure the sequel will be worth the two-year wait.

The It team has already revealed that the second chapter will be set 27 years after the events of the first movie, when evil fear monster It once again awakens from his slumber to terrorize Derry, Maine. The children who defeated It in the first movie will have to fulfill the promise they made to one another at the end of the film to return to Derry in 27 years to fight It again when it's scheduled to reawaken. Of course, this nearly three-decade time jump means that the sequel will need to recast its child actors with older actors to portray characters who will now be in their forties. That recasting process could account for the longer time it will take for the sequel to finally land in theaters at the end of 2019.

The first It movie also took an incredibly long time to make it to theaters as well. The Stephen King adaptation was first announced all the way back in 2009 with screenwriter David Kajganich helming the project. Then it switched hands to director Cary Fukunaga a few years later in 2012, and once again was handed off in 2015 to director Andy Muschietti. All of those directorial change-ups meant It actually took a whopping eight years to get made in total. I guess compared to that, a two-year wait for IT Chapter 2 isn't that bad at all.

Along with focusing on the return of It in the present day, the upcoming sequel will also feature flashback scenes to show viewers It's origin story. Pennywise actor Bill Skarsgård recently revealed that one scene showing It's origins in the 1600s was cut from the film for being too disturbing, but teased it may be included in the sequel. He said the scene showed It in a completely new form — rather than appearing in his preferred form of Pennywise the Dancing Clown, It looked more humanoid. The scene saw a mother back in colonial Derry trading her child's life so that It would spare her own, possibly indicating the beginning of It's hunting and devouring of children in the town of Derry without much response from the adults of the town.

Alongside the portrayal of It's origins, the sequel may also delve into the mythology that Stephen King presents in the novels, which is only very subtly hinted at in the first film. In the book, the children are aided in their quest to destroy It by a turtle god named Maturin. The kids finding a turtle in the quarry and Georgie's Lego turtle sculpture are both little Easter eggs in the movie for viewers familiar with Maturin, but he may actually become a real part of the story in the sequel.

IT Chapter 2 dances into theaters on Sept. 6, 2019.