Casting 'It: Chapter 2' – Here's Who Should Play The Adult Losers' Club In The 'It' Sequel

Even before director Andy Muschietti's It hit theaters and made the kind of money usually reserved for superhero movies, there was talk of a sequel. And how could there not be? The film adapts only half of Stephen King's massive 1,200 page novel, eschewing the storyline that follows the grown-up "Losers' Club" as they reassemble 27 years later to finish Pennywise (or rather, It) off once and for all.

So that means the sequel has a tough act to follow when it comes to casting. The kid actors in It are wonderful and their chemistry feels real and they power the beautiful coming-of-age story that wins your heart between the scares. Casting their adult counterparts and doing justice to these original performances is going to be tricky.

And that's why we're here to help.

Jacob Hall, Ben Pearson, and Ethan Anderton teamed up brainstorm who they'd cast as the grown-up Losers in It: Chapter 2. We only had one real rule: the casting had to be somewhat realistic, actors who you could actually see joining the project and not an ensemble of overpriced movie stars. Jacob and Ben worked from having read the original book; Ethan made his choices based purely on the child performances themselves (with limited guidance from the King fans on staff).

Note: This article contains details from Stephen King's original novel that have not yet been revealed in the film adaptation. Everything written here occurs early enough in the "adult" section of the story that we have decided that knowledge of these plot points will not ruin the experience for new fans. However, those wanting to go in completely blind should proceed with caution.

Bill Denbrough demands an actor who's soft-spoken but commanding, a kind of presence that feels as reassuring as it does compassionate. This is a side of James Badge Dale, an actor who has flirted with movie stardom several times while kicking ass in supporting roles, that I would like to see. Casting a "movie star" in this role may feel tempting, but it's Bill's anonymity, his basic human decency, that makes him a compelling hero. There's an everyman quality to Dale that feels just right for the grown-up Bill. He also has a soft-spoken toughness about him, so watching his Bill revisit – and get broken by – his childhood traumas should make for a truly unsettling experience. (Jacob Hall)

Even though Bill is the one who convinces the Losers' Club to follow Pennywise down into his sewer layer, there's a timidity to his bravery in the face of danger. Picturing Bill as an adult who must face that fear again, I can't think of anyone better than Michael C. Hall to inherit the part. On the Showtime series Dexter, Hall was mostly in control as the serial killer of people with questionable morals. But he also brought with him a nervous uncertainty due to his concern about getting caught. Though Bill has lost his stutter and has become a successful novelist not unlike Stephen King, the character needs that hint of fear to fall back on, and Hall can play that perfectly. (Ethan Anderton)

In many ways, Jessica Chastain feels like the "easy" choice to the adult Beverly, but there's a strong chance that she's also the right choice. In addition to looking very much like a grown-up version of Sophia Lillis, she previously worked with director Andy Muschietti on his first feature film, the horror movie Mama. So Chastain already has a relationship with the director and she's not above starring in a horror movie and she's a tremendous actress who can capture the nuances of adult Beverly, a troubled woman at war with the literal ghosts of her past. (Jacob Hall)

The top choices for playing Beverly Marsh go for three of the most popular red-haired actresses working today: Bryce Dallas Howard, Jessica Chastain and Amy Adams. They're names have all been thrown around for the role because they're great in front of the camera and they have naturally red hair. But I'd like to go outside of the latter physical detail and pick someone who has the acting chops to knock the role out of the park, even if she lacks the freckles. Maggie Gyllenhaal has both the confidence and nuance in her performances to play a character like Beverly Marsh, especially as a grown woman who has been beaten down, literally and metaphorically, by both her past and her present. (Ethan Anderton)

Sometimes, kids grow up in surprising ways. In the pages of Stephen King's It, chubby and shy little Ben Hanscom grows into a something of a stud, burning off his weight through running and weaponizing his imagination to become a successful architect. So why not cast an actor whose transformation from child actor into adulthood has proven equally surprising? In genre movies like Cheap Thrills and The Devil's Candy, Ethan Embry has embraced horrifying material with gusto, undergoing physical transformations that make you do a double take. This is the kid from Empire Records and Vegas Vacation? Embry has very little in common with Jeremy Ray Taylor, but that's kind of the point. Ben grows up to reinvent himself completely on a physical level and trying to find that shy, fat kid in this handsome and strapping guy is like trying to find that former child actor in a performer who has proven himself willing to swing for the fences in some very dark material. (Jacob Hall)

Who better to play the adult version of the chubby kid in the Losers' Club than the actor who played the chubby kid in the group of friends from the adaptation of Stephen King's Stand By Me? Sure, Jerry O'Connell may not be considered to be the stud that he was a decade or so ago, and his career isn't exactly at a high point, but he's still a former fat kid who grew up to be a handsome dude. It gives him an opportunity to show off that he's still quite the solid actor, and it's a cool, meta bit of casting. Don't forget that Jerry O'Connell already has horror sequel experience having played Sidney Prescott's boyfriend in Scream 2. (Ethan Anderton)

As Richie Tozier, Finn Wolfhard steals all of his scenes in It – being a class clown with a mouth that doesn't know when to stop moving has its advantages when it's endearing. And since the character grows up to make a living at being a total ham, it's only appropriate that they cast the biggest ham of them all: Bill Hader. The Saturday Night Live veteran is one of the most talented impersonators and mimics of the past few decades, so there is no one better suited to play the grown-up Richie, who makes his living behind a microphone with his endlessly malleable voice. While he's not widely known for his dramatic fare, Hader is has proven himself exceptional when he steps outside of the genre where he made his name. Plus, watching someone as effortlessly funny as Hader channel their fear on screen, to watch his wisecracks fail in the face of pure evil, should be harrowing. (Jacob Hall)

At 33 years old, Kyle Mooney is a bit on the younger side to be playing a character in their late 30s. But all it takes is some five o'clock shadow and he looks much older. Mooney is known for playing socially awkward and quirky characters on Saturday Night Live and more recently the outstanding indie Brigsby Bear. But he also has a more bombastic, energetic side that he's brought out on several occasions that would fit in line perfectly with the radio shock jock personality that Richie takes on in the book. Plus, Mooney has an extensive improv background, and he can spout off plenty of great one-liners to keep up with Finn Wolfhard's performance from the first movie. (Ethan Anderton)

One of the most pleasant surprises of It is Jack Dylan Grazer's Eddie. On the page, Eddie is very much a sad sack, a kid who has been raised to fear every speck of dirt and blade of grass by his fearful mother. But Grazer transforms Eddie's neuroses into comedic gold, finding the sad and sweet humor in the character. So why not cast a comedian in the part and let the sadness come between laughs? Why not cast the great Adam Scott, whose deadpan is a secret weapon of so many movies? He'd be a departure from the page, but he'd certainly be in line with how he's portrayed in the first movie. Plus, I'd love to see Scott get flung into a real horror movie after flirting with the genre in Little Evil. (Jacob Hall)

The eccentricity and fast-talking personality that Jack Dylan Grazer brought to life as Eddie in the first chapter of It is only going to get worse with age. Personally, I can't think of anyone better than Fred Savage to take the role of Eddie, allowing him to further blossom as an actor from the childhood roles he became famous for in the late 1980s and early 1990s, especially The Wonder Years. Savage's face is enough to make me think he's the perfect adult to play a grown up Eddie, but it's also his manner of speaking that is the real selling point for me. Plus, it's been awhile since we've seen Savage do anything like this, and it would be a fascinating bit of casting. (Ethan Anderton)

Sterling K. Brown is having a moment and the It sequel should capitalize on it posthaste. The American Crime Story and This is Us star will soon appear before much larger audiences in major releases like Black Panther and The Predator. His star is on the rise. In any case, he'd be perfect for Mike Hanlon, the lone member of the Losers' Club who remains behind in Derry to track the city's terrifying history and prepare for the return of It. While Chosen Jacobs gets the short end of the stick as Mike in part one, the sequel should go a long way to redeeming the character – a smart, kind, and determined man who has dedicated his life (and destroyed so many of his future prospects) to keeping a promise. Brown, so charming and so smart and so naturally funny in even the grimmest scenarios, would be perfect. (Jacob Hall)

We know that Jordan Peele can director horror after his turn behind the camera with the acclaimed thriller Get Out from earlier this year. But now I want to see the comedian get back in front of the camera for some scares by playing Mike Hanlon. Director Andy Muschietti has said that Mike becomes obsessed with figuring out how to defeat Pennywise, which includes experimenting with some mind-altering drugs. Knowing the range of characters Peele has played on his own sketch series Key & Peele, it's not hard to imagine the actor creating a character who feels like his mind is constantly wandering while also having a powerful intensity to defeat the evil entity known as It. This could be yet another way for Peele to show his dynamic range and make his career even more fruitful. (Ethan Anderton)

When I set out to select actors for this list, I determined not to use any huge names. No one unrealistic. However, I strongly believe there is room for a little bit of stunt casting when it comes to Stanley Uris. Since poor Stan decides to kill himself rather than return to Derry, casting a recognizable face, a friendly and likable face, only to watch him vanish into a pit of despair and desperation and take his own life within moments, could make for a remarkable scene in the sequel. So while the choice of Seth Rogen began as a joke when I started brainstorming Jewish actors to fill the shoes of Wyatt Oleff, it lingered in the back of my mind until it stuck. It would be truly painful to watch Rogen, with his mischievous grin and contagious laugh, slit his wrists in a bathtub. It would certainly set a tone. (Jacob Hall)

Jessie Eisenberg is a pretty big star now, which might make him unattainable for a horror sequel, even one following up a movie as successful as the first chapter. But considering the fact that the role of Stan is a small one, due to the fate he creates for himself, there's a chance the studio could get away with putting a big name in the role and surprising those audience members who don't know what becomes of Stan by getting rid of such a big name early on. It would be like killing Drew Barrymore in the opening sequence from Scream in a way. Plus, Eisenberg has the right demeanor to expand upon what Wyatt Oleff brought to the able in the first movie. (Ethan Anderton)