The 'It' Sequel Has Found Its Star, & She's Perfect For The Part

We are getting our first bit of news about the new cast of the upcoming sequel to 2017's hit remake of It, and it looks like some major star power is coming to Derry. After a bunch of rumors, Variety is now confirming that Jessica Chastain is in talks to star in the It sequel as the adult version of Beverly Marsh. Although the It team and Chastain are reportedly still in negotiations, everything seems to be pointing to her getting the part.

Rumors about Jessica Chastain taking over the role of Bev in It: Chapter Two have been pretty rampant since the first It remake was released last September. Since the sequel is set to take place 27 years after the first movie, with all of the Losers aged up into adults, fans immediately started pitching actors that looked like they could be grown-up versions to the stars of Chapter One, and Jessica Chastain's visual similarities to Bev actress Sophia Lillis was one of the most prominent fan-castings. Adding some fuel to the possibility of that was the fact that Chastain had already worked with It's director Andy Muschietti on his breakthrough horror movie Mama, and Muschietti publicly admitted that he would love to see Chastain play adult Bev in the sequel when asked about the fan speculation. All of this Chastain talk was just a rumor then, but now we have our first official confirmation that she is indeed being considered for It: Chapter Two.

2017's It, based on the 1986 Stephen King novel about a demonic entity terrorizing a small town in Maine, focused on the first half of King's book, the section when the people that stand up to It are around 11 years old. The movie introduced us to the Losers Club, a group of misfit kids who realize that something evil is loose in their town of Derry, Maine, and set out to fight against it. In the end, they track down Pennywise the Clown (which is the form the demon It has taken) and are able to defeat him. After their fight, the Losers all promise one another that they will return to face down It again the next time it returns to Derry, which they know from their research will be in 27 years. That's the moment that sets up the film's sequel, which will see the kids in their late 30s returning to the town to once again fight It.

Jessica Chastain is the first name attached to It: Chapter Two, alongside Bill Skarsgård, who is expected to reprise his part as the demonic Pennywise. The rest of the main cast will include grown-up versions of the rest of the Losers Club, consisting of leader Bill, wise-cracking Richie, nervous hypochondriac Eddie, germ-hating Stan, hard-working orphan Mike, and the chubby new kid Ben. Expect the adult cast for each of those roles to start being announced later this year.

The possible new role is one of many exciting upcoming film roles for Jessica Chastain, who is currently making the awards season rounds for her starring role in Aaron Sorkin's gambling drama Molly's Game. This year, Chastain will also star in X-Men: Dark Phoenix and co-star in a holiday comedy with Octavia Spencer. Fans will have to wait a while for It: Chapter Two, though. The highly anticipated horror sequel is not slated to be released for over year and a half from now, on Sept. 6, 2019. I guess that will give the It sequel's creative team lots of time to firm up those negotiations with Chastain and officially announce her as the adult Bev.