Casting the adult 'Losers' of IT.

Here we are, a week from the film release of It, one of Stephen King's greatest books and my personal favourite of all his works. So far, the word of mouth for the film has been extremely favourable with many claiming this will be one of the best adaptation of King's books. The last time, It appeared on screen was in the 90s and while there many flaws in that mini-series, the portrayal of Pennywise by Tim Curry has personally contributed to a generation of children being terrified by clowns. See Exhibit A below.

With such good buzz, one assumes that the sequel featuring the second half of the book will be a certainty and in the spirit of fan casting, I thought I'd take a stab casting the adult Losers. Bear in mind, these are always subjective so feel free to chime in if you disagree. I'm also casting them according to the ages they're meant to be in the books.

Bill Denborough - Liev Schreiber

Liev Schreiber is one of those rare actors who can both play a supporting character or the lead and still end up being the best thing in it. I think he's the kind of guy you could picture behind a pair of glasses, writing personal stories based on his own tragedies.

Schreiber would lead an ensemble quite well as he did in his understated performance in Spotlight, giving Bill Denborough the thoughfulness and strength that allowed him to lead the Losers.

Richie Tozier - Jim Carrey

Jim Carrey can act.

When he's not mugging for low-brow comedic fare - I'm looking at you Dumb and Dumber, he can turn in a good performance, i.e. Truman Show and Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind. I believe he's at that stage in his career where he can play Richie Tozier without going off the reservation - again, I'm looking at you Batman Forever.

Aside from being able to do Richie's voices, Jim has proven he's able to show the darker side of maintaining a comic persona for audiences while being a bundle of anxieties on the inside. I think he'll nail Richie Tozier if given the chance.

Eddie Kasprak - David Schwimmer

I have to admit, I was stumped on this one - my second choice was Ben Stiller, so if anyone has better ideas, please speak up. David has always been able to convey neurotic hypochondria to great effect by his performances as Ross Gellar and Melvin the Giraffe in the Madagascar films.

I think he'd be able to carry off Eddie, who's frightened of everything but manages to stand up for his friends, quite ably. Furthermore, David has done good work since Friends so I think he can give a performance that's closer to the source material than most would expect from him.

Beverly Marsh - Amy Adams

Seriously, is anyone else even a contender for this one? Aside from being one of the most acclaimed actresses in recent times, Amy's ability to play Beverly Marsh, a woman haunted by her past and stronger than she knows, is evidenced by most of her previous roles. Whether she is playing Lois Lane or Louise Banks in the Arrival, she conveys vulnerability and strength that is the core of Bev's character.

Not to mention, Amy's resemblance to young Sophia Lillis as Beverly Marsh would make it easy for the audience to connect the young abused girl to the strong woman she'll eventually become.

Ben Hanscom - Matt Damon

I'll be honest, I see Matt Damon in this role largely because I can picture Matt as a fat kid in his youth. Its probably not the case at all but as someone who transformed himself from an actor of more cerebral fare to Jason Bourne I can picture Matt playing a character that pulls a similiar hat trick to the one Ben 'Haystack' Hascom manages in the book.

Coupled with the ability of the actor to portray strong, nuanced characters with an every man sensibility, I think he'd do justice to Ben Hascom. Matt is also comfortable working with an ensemble, so I think he'd be great in the role.

Mike Hanlon - Michael K Williams

No its not because of the similarity in names. I've always liked this actor who seems to bring dignity to characters you'd find very hard to feel sympathy for. His Chalky White in Boardwalk Empire was standout and the character's end is poignant and beautiful due to this actor's performance.

I'd like to see him bring this same dignity and internal fortitude to Mike Hanlon, the librarian who remains in Derry because he is the Loser's Lighthouse Keeper. Michael will effectively convey Mike's courage continuing his own investigations of the new murders in Derry as well as his nocturnal trek into the sewers alone.

Stan Uris - Jason Bateman

Jason Bateman would be perfect for Stan 'the Man' Uris because he's just one of those actors whose characters can go either way. Capable of potraying heroes or snivelling cowards, Jason's characters often try to reason their way out whatever predicament they find themselves, making him the perfect candidate for playing Stan, the Loser's resident doubting Thomas.

He'd have no trouble playing a man going through his life, living with the Sword of Damocles, and completely snapping when that sword finally drops. Not to mention Jason's ability to deliver a sardonic rebuke will play well during one of the book's key scenes.

Agree with my selection? Hate it? If its either, I'd love to hear what your choices would be. Whatever we come up with, It is giong to be a hell of a ride.

#ITMovie #StephenKing