IT: Will Poulter left because Pennywise was so dark & terrifying

Last Updated on August 2, 2021

As some of you may remember before director Andy Muschietti's upcoming take on STEPHEN KING'S IT was given the green light over at Warner Bros. TRUE DETECTIVE S1 director Cary Fukunaga had a version all planned out and ready to shoot.

While Cary's version had the plug pulled on it and the last minute, the film had gone so far as to cast MEET THE MILLERS Will Poulter as Pennywise the Dancing Clown. Poulter, however, left the film along with Fukunaga and until now it has remained a mystery why he decided to vacate the role of IT.

That said, recently director Andy Muschietti was speaking with Deadline and finally revealed what caused Poulter to hang up the balloons and clown shoes and dropped out of the remake of STEPHEN KING'S IT.

Andy Muschietti on Will Poulter dropping the role of Pennywise:

Will basically expressed a feeling that he had slowly disengaged from playing that character, that was so dark and terrifying.

How's that for marketing? All jokes aside I don't blame Poulter for dropping the role. I'm sure all was fine and dandy until the first time he walked past a mirror with the costume on. Then all bets were off.

What did you think of Will Poulter as Pennywise? Are you upset he chose to leave? Make sure to let us know what you think in the new comments section below or on Facebook, Twitter, and/or Instagram!

IT synopsis:

A group of young kids faces their biggest fears when they seek answers to the disappearance of children in their hometown of Derry, Maine. They square off against an evil clown named Pennywise, whose history of murder and violence dates back for centuries.

IT is directed by Andrés Muschietti from a script by Chase Palmer & Cary Joji Fukunaga and Gray Dauberman, based on the novel by Stephen King.

The film stars Jaeden Lieberher, Sophia Lillis, Finn Wolfhard, Wyatt Oleff, Jack Dylan Grazer, Jeremy Ray Taylor, Chosen Jacobs, Nicholas Hamilton, Owen Teague, Javier Botet, Steven Williams, and Bill Skarsgård as Pennywise the Dancing Clown.

IT hits theaters nationwide September 8th.