After the success of Andy Muschietti’s 2017 horror film IT and its successor in 2019 IT: Chapter Two, he stated that the story of Pennywise was not yet complete; this led fans to speculate about when IT 3 could release. After months of waiting, there is still silence on whether there will be a third installment in the franchise or not. If there is going to be a third film, it is likely audiences will not see it until 2021 or later.
Adapted from Stephen King’s 1986 novel of the same name, IT follows a group of friends known as the “Losers Club” as they uncover the devious history of their small town of Derry, Maine. The group consists of Bill Denbrough, Beverly Marsh, Ben Hanscom, Richie Tozier, Eddie Kaspbrak, Stanley Uris, and Mike Hanlon. After the Pennywise the clown takes the life of Bill’s younger brother Georgie, they come together to defeat the centuries old evil that has plagued Derry.
Muschietti’s films follow a wave of Stephen King adaptations such as Carrie (2013) and The Dark Tower (2017). With so much King content distributed throughout the 2010s, horror fans are exclaiming “hail to the King.” IT: Chapter One and IT: Chapter Two are by far the most popular of the 21st century so far, and there is enough mythology in the original source to craft many more additions. Due to Muschietti’s own recognition of the possibility of a third film, fans have theorized and speculated what and when Pennywise will reappear.
When IT: Chapter Three Could Release
Due to the unprecedented impact of COVID-19 on the film industry, it is difficult to speculate when or if any film will release or go into the beginning phases of production. As a plethora of horror films have announced delays such as The Woman In The Window and the reboot of Candyman, the ability to conclusively state when a film that has not even gotten the green light will reach theaters is difficult. As the second installment of IT came only two years after the first, a 2021 date could be expected, but due to the current pandemic and lack of announcement regarding its green light status, it is more likely IT 3 would get a 2022 or 2023 release.
While Bill Skarsgård (Pennywise) and Andy Muschietti are entirely open to adding a third film to the franchise, the issue at hand is the fact that there has been no word on it getting the green light. The possibility of a 2022 or 2023 release is entirely reliant on a secured plot, screenplay, and backing from the studio. It is entirely possible that there will be a third film regardless of the current state of the film industry and the world as well as the lack of concrete evidence that it is even in development.
With the immense success of both chapters of the IT series, a third film could bring an even larger following to the already expansive fan base that they have. Furthermore, if it were decided that there was not going to be a third film, the possibility for an expansion on the Stephen King Macroverse with a Pennywise based prequel would be a missed opportunity. As a result, a great deal of the original source material would be abandoned and the series would still remain somewhat incomplete in terms of fully adapting the novel.