Cary Fukunaga says It will be like a Goonies-esque horror movie

Last Updated on August 5, 2021

With TRUE DETECTIVE blowing minds left and right, the involvement of Cary Fukunaga with the adaptation of Stephen King‘s IT, it looks like we may be getting a fuller and deeper adaptation of the horror novel. Fukunaga has previously stated that IT would be developed as two films, something that would greatly benefit the sprawling source novel.

Fukunaga recently sat down with Collider to discuss TRUE DETECTIVE and they asked about the status of IT. Fukunaga shared some interesting details about the films.

I am in the midst of rewriting the first script now. We’re not working on the second part yet. The first script is just about the kids. It’s more like Goonies meets a horror film.

Invoking THE GOONIES will assuredly make fans of IT excited as the story spends a great deal of time with the Loser’s Club. The kids band together to battle the evil Pennywise the Clown as well as the horror that lurks behind that manifestation. The mini-series version of the novel jumped back and forth in time periods, but it sounds like Fukunaga wants to keep things linear, which would make the sequel much more natural and not require the adult and child casting to be done simultaneously.

Fukunaga also spoke of the weakest part of the IT mini-series, the ending, and what he hopes to avoid in his version.

There will be no spider at the end of our movie. We’re definitely honoring the spirit of Stephen King, but the horror has to be modernized to make it relevant. That’s my job, right now, on this pass. I’m working on making the horror more about suspense than visualization of any creatures. I just don’t think that’s scary. What could be there, and the sounds and how it interacts with things, is scarier than actual monsters.

Fukunaga has proven with TRUE DETECTIVE that he can handle “actual monsters” so I have no doubt he will knock IT out of the park. The only question is, when will we get it?