IT director Andy Muschetti has confirmed that he will make IT: Part 2 prior to Robotech. Next week, one of the most anticipated movies of the fall arrives, when Stephen King's IT gets theatrically adapted for the first time. Early critical reactions have been very positive, advance fan sentiment is generally through the roof, and box office projections suggest literally record-breaking opening weekend totals. After an underperforming summer when it comes to ticket sales, Hollywood really needs IT to be the hit it looks poised to be.

Of course - as any fan of King's book or the 1990 miniseries - is well aware of, IT (2017) is only the first half of a two-part story, despite the singular title of the film and its marketing failing to acknowledge that fact. In the early days after it was first announced that Warner Bros. would be adapting IT into two separate films, many fans worried that if the first movie wasn't a success, the second movie would be canceled and the story would go unfinished.

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In hindsight, those fears were obviously unfounded since, based on the current box office estimates, WB will likely be tripping over themselves to get the IT sequel into production. Still, there's a question as to when fans will get to see Part 2, as Muschetti has said previously that the script hasn't even been written yet, and probably won't be ready to go until at least January 2018. Plus, as of July, Muschetti is attached to direct a Robotech adaptation for Sony. Thankfully, Muschetti tells Bad Taste that he won't be doing Robotech until after he wraps up the story of the Losers' Club. Here's his full quote, roughly translated from the original Italian:

"Bad Taste: So will you run Robotech before the IT sequel?

A. Muschietti: No, IT 2 is my priority. I would run Robotech, in case later.

Bad Taste: And do you have higher budget for this sequel?

A. Muschietti: Well ... clearly I hope so!"

In addition to confirming that IT: Part 2 will shoot before Robotech, Muschetti's second comment about hoping for a higher budget for the sequel is interesting. Exact budget figures for IT aren't publicly available at present, but reports have estimated it as being somewhere around $30 million. While that's obviously not pocket change by any standard, it's a fairly small cost for a high-profile film made by a large Hollywood studio.

If IT makes as much as predicted, one wonders if Muschetti will have the clout to ask WB to give him more resources for Part 2. If nothing else though, what he's working with now is no doubt much, much more than what the makers of the miniseries had at their disposal.

NEXT: IT Movie Early Reactions

Source: Bad Taste

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