Jessica Chastain has officially joined “It: Chapter Two.” Variety confirms the Oscar-nominated actress is circling the role of the adult Beverly Marsh in the horror sequel. Newcomer Sophia Lillis played the character in the first installment, which dominated the box office last September and earned $700 million worldwide. Chastain’s casting is the first major bit of news to be released about the highly anticipated sequel.
Chastain was long rumored to be in contention for the role and even told Screen Rant last November that she would love to play adult Beverly should her schedule work out. The actress is a friend and previous collaborator of “It” director Andy Muschietti, who directed her in the horror film “Mama.”
“Well, I love Andy [Muschietti] and Barbara [Muschietti],” Chastain told Screen Rant. “I worked with them on Andy’s directorial debut, you know, his film, ‘Mama.’ His first film. And you know, Barbara is one of my best friends so…We’ll see…They’re my friends. They’re like my family. Anything that they’re doing I want to be a part of, so I hope we can make it happen.”
Muschietti had also been eyeing Chastain, telling Variety in September that he would love for her to play the character.
“Jessica is an amazing actress and a very good friend and I would love her to play Beverly,” he said. “She loves the movie and it feels like the planets are aligned in that sense, but we still have to make that happen. There are a lot of ideas for the rest of the cast that I’m playing with.”
Chastain has mostly avoided studio blockbusters throughout her career. “It: Chapter Two”marks her second major tentpole following “X-Men: Dark Phoenix,” which will be released in theaters later this year. “It: Chapter Two” arrives September 6, 2019.
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