WARNER BROS. ENTERTAINMENT INC. (NEW YORK) — To say horror is in bestselling author/producer Joe Hill’s DNA is literally true — he’s the son of Stephen King, after all — but he’s also a massive fan of the genre in his own right.
The author, whose adaptation of his book N0S4A2 is now a series on AMC, tells ABC Radio he can’t wait for September 6, when It: Chapter 2 debuts.
The trailer for the anticipated film, based on Stephen King’s classic horror novel, went viral nearly as soon as it was launched at San Diego’s Comic Con Thursday afternoon. No surprise, considering its 2017 predecessor was a huge blockbuster.
Joe Hill credits the level of interest in the sequel to the director of both movies.
“Andy Muschietti…makes films with terrific heart,” he explains. “He does do scary films, horror films, but…even when his characters are in tremendous trouble, you sense how much he cares about them…how much he loves those characters.”
The sequel picks up 27 years after the events of the first, which saw the Losers Club of Derry, Maine successfully defeat Pennywise, the evil clown — or, at least, that what they thought. The trailer shows the adult versions of the our heroes, this time around played James McAvoy, Jessica Chastain and Bill Hader, among others — tangling with Bill Skarsgård’s demonic character once again.
Muschietti’s care in representing the onscreen pals was key to the movie’s success, King says.
“We don’t associate feelings of warmth with horror, but he makes tremendously warm films where we…just love those people and and we wish the best for them — and instead, usually, they have to face the worst.”
He enthuses, “No one’s no one’s more excited for the next It film than I am.”
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