User:HumanxAnthro/sandbox/It Chapter Two

Writing
Several changes were made to condense half of the more than 1,000-page novel into a feature film. Mike Hanlon doesn't live in the library, and there is only one scene indicating he's research the dark past of Derry heavily. Tom Rogan also doesn't return to Derry to find Beverly, unlike the book, as Muschietti found it too convoluted trying to insert it in.

Multiple alterations were done to the Chinese restaurant scene. A message was added to the fortune cookie to added tension; in the book, there was no message in the fortune cookie. Baby faces were also added to the bugs, which, according to Muschietti, was meant to remind the Losers of the fact they had no children. The eyeball was also made more "poppy" than in the book to symbolize Richie's fear of being exposed to others as a gay man.

Another change involve how the Losers stay in Derry. In the book, the Losers stay simply due to their promise 27 years ago. Muschietti found this reasoning very weak, suggesting no one would risk their lives fulfilling an oath he could choose not to keep with. Thus, for the film, Richie and Eddie's brief leaving following the bad memories, as well as Beverly's visions of how they'll die which motivates them to go back and kill It, were added.

Casting
It took a long time for Muschietti to find an actor for the adult Mike, ultimately choosing Isaiah Mustafa; he only knew Mustafa from the Old Spice commercials, and casted him based on his physical resemblance to Chosen Jacobs.

Xavier Dolan was a fan of the first film, and a big friend of Muschietti.

The character of Dean was added near the end of production. His first scene is an encounter with all the Losers where Richie initially thinks the kid is a form of It. The character was added as a "bait" for Bill Denbrough. Sean Store, a stand-in Muschietti had worked with for a long time, played Dean's dad.

Cameos from the film crew include Lora Thorn, a stand-in Muschietti had worked with for ten year, make-up head Sarah Greg Mathican, hair head Ryan Reed, script supervisor Shane Scott, and a voice cameo from sound editor Bill Dean as a festival beaver. Peter Bogdanovich, who Muschietti is a fan of, cameos as himself, while film producer Jason Fuchs also briefly appear. Brandon Crane, who was young Ben in the 1990 miniseries, was cast as a manager for the Adult Ben in It Chapter Two; Muschietti intended it not only as an easter egg, but also to trick viewers unfamiliar with the miniseries into thinking he might be Ben.

Filming
For a "magic" nostalgia aesthetic, the flashback scene at the clubhouse was filmed with Hawk Anamorphic Lenses, with smoothing and a glow added in post-production.

It Chapter Two features scene shot in 2016 for the first film, but rejected there and used for the second film. Parts of an improvised scene of Beverly talking about what she saw in the deadlights were cut out in the first film, and the full sequence opens the second to establish context. The scene of young Henry Bowers after he falls down a well in the sewer was also initially shot for the first film, but was rejected and included in It Chapter Two instead. Although parts of the scenes where the Losers briefly split up appeared in parts of the first film, their traumatic experiences when isolated were left out; they were placed as flashbacks in the second film as they connected to one of the major themes, how individuals are more vulnerable to the malevolent when alone.

Muschietti's own trailer park served as Bill Denbrough's home. The jail Henry resides in was shot at an abandoned hospital in Toronto.

The Mandarin Restaurant was chosen for its huge size, and its interior was altered a little to make it look like a Maine location.

The fair was designed in a parking lot by Paul Denham Austerberry, Neither Churcher, art director Lucky Sire, and set decorator Shane Vieau.

Filming It Chapter Two was not without difficult scenes. The Chinese restaurant took four days to film; although fun for the director and actors, it was complicated by the many emotions and revelations between the characters. Adrian's death scene was shot in the dark and near the end of a deadline. Beverly's call with Stanley's wife revealing the suicide was similar shot quickly during a part of night near daylight; some shots show the sky being a little brighter than other shots, a result of this timing. An instance where Tom Rogan physically assaults Beverly, shot on the second day of filming, was difficult due to the actress struggling to find the right "state of mind" to act in the scene.

For the opening aerial shots of Derry, Muschietti wanted them to feel like they're "frozen in time," the camera on the most "haunting" places, seen in the previous film, "deprived of people". The scene at Warner Bros. Studio was also filmed in Toronto due to shooting in Los Angeles being prohibitive.

For the scene re-introducing the adult losers, which also involve Mike calling all of them, he intended for it to be quick and dynamic.

Richie's DJing scene was shot at the Allen Theater in Toronto.

The Losers' 1989 oath had to be re-filmed from Stanley's point-of-view for a scene where he has a memory of it before he commits suicide.

For the Chinese restaurant scene, Muschietti went for a metamorphosis of visual language; the scene starts out heartwarming with shots containing multiple members as a group, but as the mood gets darker, shots focus only on one Loser at a time and use wider angles to indicate isolation.

Bill's drugged vision was filmed by shaking a Steadicam from left to right; a whirling soundstage was created for the interior to spin around the characters.

One shot of the six Losers was composited based the cover of the Beatles' Abbey Road (1969), with Eddie the only one barefoot in the same way Paul McCartney was on the album cover; Muschietti intended this to foreshadow Eddie's death, as McCartney being barefoot was cited in "Paul is dead" conspiracy theories as being a indicator.

A scene in the hallway of Beverly's old house was shot as two separate layers, one featuring Beverly, and the other featuring Mrs. Kersh; this was so Joan Gregson could practice getting crazy with her acting while not keeping Chastain for too long. The encounters between Kersh and Beverly were improvised with Muschietti directing only with simple action words. Likewise, the Bob Gray sequence that follows was unscripted; Muschietti's only direction for Skarsgård was to paint his face and turn from Gray to Pennywise as the scene progressed. The scene at the bike store, where Bill's stuttering annoys the owner, was improvised and conceived by McAvoy, and the shot was much longer than the final film.

The Paul Bunyan was in the movie at the request of Stephen King. The scene of adult Richie next to him involved Skarsgård floating near the shoulder of the statue with wires; a visual of Pennywise against the flair of the sun was an image Muschietti had for a while, while the color changes as the sequence progresses was a last minute idea by the digital intermediate department.

The only young Loser actor not de-aged was Jaeden Martell, who's look as well as his voice was the least changed between 2016 and 2018.

Ben's flashback scene was shot in various small soundstage sets and at a variety of "false" angles.

Themes
Muschietti notes how the Losers' unified belief serve as both a benefit for and weapon against It; the Ritual of Chud is what helps the Losers attack, but unified beliefs are also what also the shape-shifting villain to kill humans.

Muschietti viewed King's novel as about children fighting not only a monsters, but also real-life evils. He executed that mindset with It Chapter Two with the inclusion of scenes like Adrian Mellon's beating, noting their relevance to current society.

Muschietti intended multiple juxtapositions with the flashback scene at the Losers' clubhouse in relation to their futures; the Losers positively describe what their adult lives will be like which turn out to be far more problematic and filled with trauma, and Mike states that he is going to Florida but in later years is the only Loser to stay in Derry.

Bill's desire for a woman to look and act like Beverly was interpreted by Muschietti as him struggling for closure of the past.

Easter dog
A doll from Muschietti's Mama is in the opening carnival scene.