The 'It' Sequel Will Explore The Novel's More 'Transdimensional' Elements

It may seem silly to talk about a movie's sequel before the first one is even in theaters, but Andy Muschietti's adaptation of It demands the conversation. Stephen King's massive novel was divided in half for the film adaptation and the scenes that take place 30 years after the "Losers' Club" battle Pennywise the Clown (and its various other guises) were excised. But they weren't forgotten. Even when we visited the set, the filmmakers were already talking about their plans for the sequel.

And with It finally hitting theaters on Friday, Muschietti is saying even more. Specifically, that some of the book's deranged, cosmic weirdness could take center stage in the follow-up.

The early buzz suggests that It is a very good movie, but also that it strips down some of the novel's more outrageous and bizarre elements (some of which won't be missed, to be completely honest). However, speaking with Yahoo Movies, Muschietti revealed that some of the wilder and "transdimensional" elements could surface in a sequel:

I really wanted to focus on the emotional journey of the group of kids. Getting in to that other dimension — the other side — was something that we could introduce in the second part. In the book the perspective of the writing... is always with the Losers, so everything they know about Pennywise is very speculative and shrouded in absurdity, so I wanted to respect that mystery feeling of not knowing what's on the other side.

Muschietti's answer could be coming from an honest place (he made it clear in our interview that he prefers the kid portion of the book to the adult storyline), but it could also be read as "the studio wouldn't let us get too weird with this one." If it's the latter, the film being a box office hit could give him the sway (and the budget) to pull off the book's trippier sequences.

Without going into spoilers, the final stretch of It is a psychedelic trip into a hellscape full of inter-dimensional creatures, ancient beings, and threats that can drive characters insane with a single glance. It's like Uncle Stevie gave H.P. Lovecraft a few snorts from his private stash. As the book makes abundantly clear, Pennywise the Clown isn't Its true form – it's just Its favorite form. It's a shapeshifting being with cosmic origins that are difficult to talk about here. I'm still note entirely sure what the hell goes down in the final 100 pages of It. I'll just let Mr. Muschietti deal with that.

It opens this Friday.