IT trailer: Killer clown Pennywise is back!

We’ve already had a teaser for the new version of Stephen King’s IT, coming to cinemas in September. The full trailer that landed online yesterday suggest this version, directed by Argentinian filmmaker Andy Muschietti, might do justice to the classic 1986 horror novel.

The story centres on a small town in Maine where a shape-shifting creature – whose favourite form is a clown – has been murdering children every 27 years for generations. And the film follows a group of children (the self-described Losers Club) who take on the monster. Stranger Things’ Finn Wolfhard and Midnight Special’s Jaeden Lieberher play two members of the Losers Club, while 26-year-old Swedish actor Bill Skarsgård (son of Stellan, little brother of Alexander) plays the killer clown.

Like the previous adaptation of It, the 1990 TV movie starring Tim Curry, this iteration will be presented in two parts with the second section following the Loser Club as adults. It’s a departure from the novel, which begins with the Loser Club as adults and then flashes back and forth to their childhood.

"We're taking it and making the movie from the point of view of the kids,” producer Roy Lee told Collider, “and then making another movie from the point of view of the adults, that could potentially then be cut together like the novel." The second part is set to begin filming in March, with the adult cast members still to be confirmed.

IT is released 1 Sep by Warner Brothers – watch the trailer in the player or on YouTube here.