IT CHAPTER TWO Director Almost Cut Major Cameo Out of Superstition

IT CHAPTER TWO had no shortage of surprises when it debuted in theaters last weekend, including a pretty notable cameo from someone tied to the story’s history. But as CHAPTER TWO‘s cast and crew recently revealed in an interview with Vanity Fair, that cameo was almost cut for a very specific reason. Spoilers for IT CHAPTER TWO below!

Early on the film, IT writer Stephen King makes a surprising cameo appearance, as a shopkeeper who Bill Denbrough (James McAvoy) buys his childhood bike back from. While the Stan Lee-like cameo served as a unique reference to the legacy of the IT franchise, King apparently almost didn’t want it to happen, for fear that it would doom the film’s success.

“He said, ‘Actually, you have to know that I’m a jinx,’” director Andy Muschietti explained. “Apparently all the movies that he was in with a cameo ultimately bombed. He wanted to warn me. I said, ‘I don’t think we need to worry about that. We can avert it. We can lift the spell.’”

While CHAPTER TWO might have earned a varied response from fans and critics, its turn at the box office certainly suggests that the “spell” of a King cameo was lifted in some way. And based off of comments from the prolific author, it sounds like he enjoyed the experience.

“Andy asked me if I’d do that, and the major thing for me is: How hard is it going to be to get there?” King said of his cameo. “They were shooting in Port Hope in Canada, and it was really just a hop. So I went up with my grandson, who’s crazy about movies—the oldest one, Ethan—and we hung out on the set. It was cool.”

King’s involvement with CHAPTER TWO reportedly stretched beyond just his onscreen cameo, with him going above and beyond to make the film a thorough adaptation of his book.

“He gave us a little list of things that he would like to see in the movie,” Muschietti shared in a recent interview. “But he is very gentle. He said like, ‘Please take this. It is what it is. There are no strings attached.’ It was more an affectionate thing with what he remembers of his own work.”

What did you think of Stephen King’s cameo in IT CHAPTER TWO? Share your thoughts with us in the comments below!

IT CHAPTER TWO is in theaters now.