Pennywise the Clown Revealed in Creepy First Image from "Stephen King's It"

[CBR News]

The first image of Bill Skarsgård as Pennywise in the film adaptation of King's classic novel proves that clowns are still scary.


Full article here.

[MikeP]

So from what I'm hearing, they moved the dates so the children events take place in the eighties, and the adult portions take place at the time of the movies release.

[JediMindTrick]

Wonder if the movie will do the pre-teen sewer gangbang scene from the book or not? I still wonder what King was snorting or smoking back in the day that made him think that scene was even remotely acceptable.

[simbob4000]

Wonder if the movie will do the pre-teen sewer gangbang scene from the book or not? I still wonder what King was snorting or smoking back in the day that made him think that scene was even remotely acceptable.

Given its in the book, it sure doesn't seem unacceptable.

[MikeP]

Wonder if the movie will do the pre-teen sewer gangbang scene from the book or not? I still wonder what King was snorting or smoking back in the day that made him think that scene was even remotely acceptable.

Honestly, I doubt it. The source material is 1000+ pages, and even over two movies, some things will have to be left out. Its a pretty safe bet that will be one of them.

[DennisTheMenace]

Given its in the book, it sure doesn't seem unacceptable.

Do you feel that a bunch of 11 year olds having a gangbang was an acceptable scene Simbob? If so, why? I'm completely sure that King could have figured out a non sexual way for the kids to bond and escape the sewer.

I think that the editors were on crack for allowing that scene and I was uncomfortable reading it as I think most people would be when suddenly presented with a scene of child sex. It might be the creepiest, most WTF thing King has ever writtten.

I doubt this movie will touch that with a 10 foot pole.

[JBatmanFan05]

There's a scene in The Shining, a bathtub scene, that I know we'll never see in the films. I always liked King's extreme freewheeling subversive rated Rness. That was part of his appeal.

Much as I love the Misery adaptation with K.Bates...not book great due partially to scenes like the lawnmower scene being omitted.

[cadet]

I need to see the fangs before I can judge how scary this version of Pennywise is.

[Zero Hunter]

I am glad they are keeping it simple and human looking. The actor definetely has the face to pull off being scary and menacing without special effects. Between the looks of this and how they are doing two movies and the shots we have seen from The Dark Tower so far it seems like Hollywood is finally doing King's books right.

[Hiromi]

I'm pretty sure we can go ahead and assume no visual adaptation of IT is ever going to have the pre teen gangbang, for one the story loses nothing by leaving it out, for two, it's a preteen gangbang, they don't want it rated NC17 or coming disturbingly close if not actually crossing the line of Kiddy porn

[MikeP]

I'm pretty sure we can go ahead and assume no visual adaptation of IT is ever going to have the pre teen gangbang, for one the story loses nothing by leaving it out, for two, it's a preteen gangbang, they don't want it rated NC17 or coming disturbingly close if not actually crossing the line of Kiddy porn

Agreed. It was stupid scene in an otherwise fantastic book, and honestly, I'm fine if we just pretend it doesn't exist.

[JBatmanFan05]

The provocative scene thankfully is unnecessary to fully appreciate the story, as far as I recall, so I'm fine with the omission, but it worked within King's book context of Derry and the effed up stuff that was befalling these teens, and just otherwise is a very King-like provocative/disturbing scene like Patrick Hockstetter's antics in It. King has always had a bit of GRRM in him (or vice versa!). No 2016 PC puritanism will change my mind on liking King's subversive fearlessness, he didn't play things safe.

[batnbreakfast]

I'm a late blossomer when it comes to King (didn't like him as a teen, discovered him in my late 20s) but The Stand (in its MARVEL adaption), Joyland and OnWriting were fantastic reads. Currently going through Finders'Keepers and there seems to be more for me in the years ahead. And I actually like King as a person.

[Cyke]

Agreed. It was stupid scene in an otherwise fantastic book, and honestly, I'm fine if we just pretend it doesn't exist.

The thing too is that the gangbang scene was part of a string of events where the kids basically come up with different powers or abilities on the fly, including the ability to send enough spirit energy to the hospitalized Mike to help defend himself from an attacker.

Like, it's a great book and all, but one thing the TV movie did well to was remove a lot of the deus ex machina. The movie can literally create any substitute for the gangbang and still work just as well. The end goal of the scene was so that the kids would reunite as a group and escape the cave; a trail of breadcrumbs and a flashlight would do the same thing.

[simbob4000]

Do you feel that a bunch of 11 year olds having a gangbang was an acceptable scene Simbob? If so, why? I'm completely sure that King could have figured out a non sexual way for the kids to bond and escape the sewer.

I think that the editors were on crack for allowing that scene and I was uncomfortable reading it as I think most people would be when suddenly presented with a scene of child sex. It might be the creepiest, most WTF thing King has ever writtten.

I doubt this movie will touch that with a 10 foot pole.

I think it's acceptable in that it's a scene in the book. Clearly the people putting the book out didn't find it unacceptable...a book you could find in places like Walmart in a time they were pretty weird about the things they cared.