‘It’: First Look at Bill Skarsgård as Pennywise the Clown in Andrés Muschietti’s New Take on the Terrifying Stephen King Novel

Entertainment Weekly has provided a first look at the most anticipated aspect of the upcoming “It” adaptation: Pennywise the Clown himself, first made famous onscreen by Tim Curry in the 1990 TV movie. Bill Skarsgård, son of Stellan and brother of Alexander, will don the makeup for director Andrés Muschietti, whose new take on the Stephen King novel is out late next year.

READ MORE: Stephen King’s ‘It’ Casts Bill Skarsgård As Pennywise The Clown

Speaking to the magazine, Skarsgård notes how the aesthetic differs from most other cinematic clowns of late, namely Heath Ledger’s Joker, in that Pennywise’s makeup isn’t messy — he essentially just looks like a clown. “It’s important that we do something fresh and original for this one,” the actor says. “It’s purposely not going toward that weird, greasy look.”

READ MORE: Stephen King’s ‘It’ Has a Director

“Tim Curry’s performance was truly great, but it’s important for me to do something different because of that,” Skårsgard adds. “I’ll never be able to make a Tim Curry performance as good as Tim Curry.” Cary Fukunaga was attached to direct for several years, but dropped out in May of 2015 over creative differences; he remains credited as a co-screenwriter. Muschietti’s film is set to be released on September 8, 2017. Provide yourself some nightmare fuel by viewing the photo below, and read the full story at EW.

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