New Line Cinema's new adaptation of Stephen King's "It" has found a new director. Andy Muschietti, who directed the 2013 horror film, "Mama," will replace Cary Fukunaga, who dropped out of the project due to budget issues.
Fakunaga is best known for directing the entire first season of HBO's critically acclaimed "True Detective" series and was attached to the project since 2012, Variety reported.
King's massive 1986 novel, with 1,136 pages in its original publication, was adapted as a TV miniseries in 1990 and starred John Ritter and Tim Curry. The story follows seven outcast children who come together over summer break to take on a monster terrorizing their town, only to face their own personal demons in the process. "It" is a shape-shifting villain who mostly appears in the form of a clown named Pennywise. "It" first appears in 1957 in Derry, Maine, a fictional town that appears in several of King's works, with the intention of attracting young children as prey.
Will Poulter had been attached to play Pennywise before Fukunaga exited. It is unclear if he will remain in the role, since Muschietti's deal has not closed, according to The Hollywood Reporter. New Line will begin the search for a new writer to tailor the script to Muschietti's vision. It's suggested that his sister, Barbara Muschietti, will likely also come on board the project as a producer.
The movie was originally supposed to start filming in June, but production was delayed when Fukunaga dropped out. It is unknown when production will pick up again.
