Jessica Chastain in Talks to Join ‘IT’ Sequel

After months of speculation, Jessica Chastain is officially in talks to join the sequel to Stephen King‘s IT movie adaptation, in the role of the adult version of Beverly.

Variety cautions that talks are still in the early stages, but Chastain’s name has long been circulating around the project, and both she and Irdis Elba recently expressed interest in joining the film.

Ironically enough, IT actress Sophia Lillis told Comicbook.com that she wanted Chastain to play her character, when we spoke to the IT cast at San Diego Comic-Con 2017. You can check out that moment in the video above!

Chastain should be an easy addition to the cast, as she helped IT director Andy Muschietti break into the horror movie scene, starring in his acclaimed 2013 feature, Mama. Chastain’s now-celebrated acting prowess was key to helping that film frighten audiences, and the actress is only getting more acclaimed with time, having wracked up more awards season nominations this year, thanks to her work starring in Aaron Sorkin’s biopic drama Molly’s Game.

It also happens that Chastain is currently taking a career arc into the big-budget genre blockbuster world. IT would give her one of the biggest horror franchises around, but she’s also slated for two comic book movie roles right now: she’ll play an alien villain in X-Men: Dark Phoenix this summer, and the titular heroine Painkiller Jane in that adaptation, which is still supposedly in the works.

IT: Part 2 will be attractive to a whole host of big-name stars, especially if Chastain hops aboard. The second half of King’s expansive novel transports us many years into the future, when “The Losers Club” are adults with families of their own, and have to return to the town of Derry, Maine, to once again face Pennywise the Clown. Bill Skarsgard will reprise his role as the evil monster. The young cast of the first film will be featured in several key flashback moments, as the adult Losers try to recover crucial repressed memories of battling Pennywise the first time.

IT: Part 2 will be in theaters on September 6th, 2019.