FILM · 2017 · USA
It
- Directed by
- Andy Muschietti
- Runtime
- 135 min
- Studio
- New Line Cinema, Vertigo Entertainment, Lin Pictures
275 archived facts 8 topics 1 source Last reviewed Sep 2026
In a small town in Maine, seven children known as The Losers Club come face to face with life problems, bullies and a monster that takes the shape of a clown called Pennywise.
Summary: TMDB
195 Interesting Facts About It
- #001
Contains a major spoiler — show
A scene removed from the Blu-ray reveals that Henry Bowers killed the rest of his gang after murdering his father, explaining why they are absent when he confronts the Losers Club at the climax. In the novel, he kills his entire gang.
- #002
Jack Dylan Grazer (Eddie) was the first of all the kids to work with Bill Skarsgård (Pennywise). During their scene Grazer was crying and gagging while Skarsgård screamed and drooled right in his face. Skarsgård was genuinely worried about Grazer and asked him after the scene if he was okay. Grazer looked at him and said: "Love what you're doing with the character!" Skarsgård was confused and impressed by Grazer's attitude, and called the child actors "little professionals."
- #003
The dental prosthetics Bill Skarsgård wore as Pennywise caused him to drool profusely. Director Andy Muschietti liked this because the drooling contributes to Pennywise's greedy nature.
- #004
Contains a major spoiler — show
(Around 40 minutes in) Behind the alley scene where the Losers talk and tend to Ben's wounds is another mural of the famous Bradley Gang shootout, often mentioned in the novel. On closer inspection, Pennywise turns out to be hiding in plain sight. To the right of Stan's shoulder, Pennywise can be seen watching the group and grinning. This means Pennywise always follows the group, even if they are not fully aware of it. It should be noted, however, that Pennywise is not in the mural when they first stand in front of it, and only appears once all the Losers (except Mike) have come before the mural.
- #007
Jackson Robert Scott (Georgie) is the youngest in the film and stated that he was not as scared of Pennywise as he had expected. He said he genuinely had a fun time shooting his scenes and that Bill Skarsgård was always joking around.
- #010
Bill Skarsgård wanted to make sure his portrayal of Pennywise was convincing for audiences. He says: "For this film to be as effective as the book and the series, I need to scare an entire generation. To me, Pennywise works in a very simple way. Not much happens in terms of his thoughts; he is animalistic and instinctual."
- #011
Contains a major spoiler — show
Finn Wolfhard (Richie) came up with the idea at the end of the film that Eddie vomits due to the leper. Wolfhard had initially suggested that his character Richie be the one attacked by Pennywise, since he is the only member of the Losers Club who does not really have anything bad happen to him or suffer real harm from Pennywise before the battle that builds to the big climax. Director Andy Muschietti considered it but later decided that Jack Dylan Grazer should be the one, since the character Eddie is germaphobic.
- #013
When the film was released in Germany, and after strange debates in Russia over a Ronald McDonald/Pennywise complaint, Burger King Deutschland took on the task of mocking rival McDonald's by giving an unprepared message at the end of the film reading "The moral is: Never trust a clown," accompanied by the Burger King logo. Audiences were stunned and amused. It became a joke that this was the longest Burger King commercial ever.
- #014
In an interview, director Andy Muschietti said he specifically chose Finn Wolfhard to play Richie Tozier because he immediately noticed the similarities between Wolfhard and Richie, noting that Wolfhard, just like the character Richie Tozier, has a burning need to express himself and be funny in real life.
- #015
Contains a major spoiler — show
There is a joke alternate opening featuring Georgie and Pennywise in a comedic "What If" scenario. The scene proceeds normally until Georgie takes the paper boat from Pennywise without incident and, while running away, says "See you later" to him. This disappoints and frustrates Pennywise, leading him to say obscenities.
- #016
According to director Andy Muschietti in an interview with GQ, two of the hardest scenes to shoot were the rainwater drain scene with Georgie and Pennywise and the flooded basement scene with Bill and Pennywise. Both of these scenes involved a lot of water and many important timing elements.
- #017
Bill Skarsgård researched the "psycho universe" to find his own way of realizing Pennywise. He drew inspiration from The Shining (1980), A Clockwork Orange (1971), The Dark Knight (2008) and The Silence of the Lambs (1991).
- #020
(Around 1 hour 24 minutes in) The only moment Pennywise is seen walking is in the refrigerator scene, where he taunts and frightens Eddie.
- #021
The refrigerator scene, which runs about 1 hour 23 minutes in, was shot with Bill Skarsgård partially contorting his body and using CGI. Skarsgård, attached to cables, was filmed lying on his back in the lower part of the refrigerator. The cables were meant to pull him out of the refrigerator and spin his body as he stepped out. His real body was digitally removed and replaced with a digital body. Parts of the body were created digitally so that limbs and body parts could be maneuvered in various complex ways. The opening was animated by hand. Skarsgård's head ultimately remained intact in the shot. VFX supervisor Arnaud Brisebois explains the continuation of "I actually suggested to the animation supervisor Yvon Jardel that he animate in reverse": "Pennywise would step back into the refrigerator to be able to push himself inside. That provided better choreography for going in and folding over himself than trying to do it the other way." Brisebois says he knew this would be an iconic horror shot.
- #022
Around the time the film opened in theaters in Lititz, Pennsylvania, there was a prank involving a series of red balloons tied to sewer grates around town to imitate one of the book covers of the novel "It." The prank frightened citizens, including the Lititz police department.
- #023
Stephen King, the author of the novel the film was adapted from, said after watching the film for the first time: "I wasn't prepared for how good it really was."
- #024
It was sent to theaters under the code name "POUND FOOLISH," the reverse of Pennywise.
- #026
Bill Skarsgård actually managed such a strange smile that it genuinely caught the director's attention, and it has now become Pennywise's iconic smile. Skarsgård initially developed the smile as a child while trying to scare his siblings.
- #027
Contains a major spoiler — show
In the film, Henry Bowers partially carving his name into Ben Hanscom's stomach is portrayed as a random act of cruelty. In the novel, Henry targets Ben specifically because he forces Ben to let him cheat on a school exam. Ben refused, and as a result Henry failed the exam and had to go to summer school.
- #028
Shortly before the film's release in early September, Tim Curry was asked at Fan Expo Canada for his thoughts on Bill Skarsgård in the role of Pennywise. He says: "I love Bill Skarsgard. I think he's very clever. It'll be interesting to see what kind of clown face he puts on because it's not an obvious clown face at all. I've seen the trailer and you can't really see him. So I'm fascinated to see him. He's very good."
- #029
The woman in the painting, Judith the Flute Player, played by Tatum Lee, was initially supposed to have some minor visual effects enhancements. Her eyes were digitally altered and distorted to create an unnatural, unsettling look. However, Rodeo FX continued adding more digital elements to the character to the point that much of the physical performance was almost entirely replaced.
- #032
Next to the outside wall of the butcher shop is a large mural commemorating the 1929 shootout and killing of the Bradley Gang. This is taken directly from the book and is mentioned by Mike in his memories of past violence in Derry. In the book, the townspeople of Derry ambush a gang of bank robbers who have come to buy ammunition in their town and slaughter them in a crossfire.
- #033
Bill has an amber streak at the front of his hair. The novel mentions that Bill has hair like Beverly's.
- #034
At about the 25-minute mark, in Ben's scene in the library, one of the photographs in the Derry history book is actually a Civil War photograph of dead soldiers at Gettysburg. They Photoshopped Easter eggs around the corpses.
- #035
Pennywise's costume in the film is much more faithful to the description in the novel compared to Tim Curry's costume in the 1990 TV miniseries, including the orange hair and orange pom-poms descending beneath the silver suit. The miniseries only included the orange pom-poms.
- #036
Contains a major spoiler — show
One of the scenes from the original novel that was adapted into neither the miniseries nor the films is the death of a local Derry boy named Eddie Corcoran. The scene has the boy running away from home because of his abusive stepfather, getting caught in a storm, and being terrorized by Pennywise in the guise of his dead brother, who ultimately kills him as a sea creature by tearing off his head. Readers have noted that this is one of the most disturbing scenes in the book, because of how long it is and the sense of fear Eddie feels the entire time. Some readers have even stated that this scene is scarier than Georgie's death scene.
- #037
Contains a major spoiler — show
All of the Losers except Richie have individual encounters with It before entering the house on Neibolt Street. Although most of the Losers' fears were changed for the film, Eddie's and Beverly's are the same as in the novel. Eddie's is somewhat toned down, while Beverly's is much more extreme.
- #038
The film's unexpected success led to an unexpected surge of interest in future Stephen King-related projects after a long period of mostly failed projects.
- #039
Contains a major spoiler — show
At about 1 hour 55 minutes in, after Bill shoots "Georgie" in the forehead, he lies motionless on the ground until he begins to convulse violently and transform into Pennywise, making high-pitched sounds and distorted screams. The distorted screams belong to Georgie's last words and the death screams heard from behind.
- #043
Contains a major spoiler — show
(At around 8 minutes) When Pennywise pulls Georgie into the sewer, his eyes change color from blue to yellow. This is a trait taken from the novel.
- #044
(At around 50 minutes) The scene in which Pennywise holds his red balloons in an inverted pyramid style when Eddie first encounters him was made using a mixture of practical set effects and CGI. The first six balloons held by Bill Skarsgård, which form an upward-pointing triangle, are real. The rest, however, were computer-generated balloons.
- #046
Contains a major spoiler — show
(At around 1 hour 35 minutes) When Bill goes to Beverly's house, the words "You'll die if you try" are written on the wall in blood. Pennywise never says these words in this film. In the book, however, after the Losers clean the bathroom, Bev enters with a tape measure in her hand and hears a whispering voice saying "… you can't fight us… you'll die if you try… die if you try… die if you try." Similarly, in the miniseries version, after the first blood spurt, Bev's father examines the sink closely but sees nothing, and then Pennywise's voice taunts Beverly with "You'll die if you try to fight us, Beverly. You'll die if you try."
- #047
Contains a major spoiler — show
In a long scene from Stan's Bar Mitzvah that does not appear in the film, Stan delivers a speech about indifference and about how selfish many of the town's adults are and how little they care about the terrible things happening in Derry. This is intercut with scenes of the other Losers' Club members doing various activities. He causes a scene and suddenly leaves. The only person applauding is Richie.
- #048
Because Bill Skarsgård can move his eyes in different directions, Pennywise is said to look with both eyes at the characters and at the camera, as if gazing directly at the viewer.
- #049
The Duffer Brothers initially wanted to direct the film but were passed over because they were not considered "established" enough. They went on to create Stranger Things (2016), which stars Finn Wolfhard (Richie) and pays tribute to Stephen King. They also worked with Alexander Skarsgård, the brother of Bill Skarsgård (Pennywise), on their first feature film, Hidden (2015).
- #050
Bill Skarsgård admitted that he was so drawn to the role of Pennywise that he had constant nightmares during and after the production.
- #051
Contains a major spoiler — show
Some of the Losers' characterizations differ considerably from their counterparts in the novel. For example, in the novel Mike is the one who possesses a great deal of knowledge about Derry and who frequently tells his friends about the disturbing events that have occurred in the town over the years. In the film, however, it is Ben who knows about the horrific events in Derry. Mike nonetheless shows in a few scenes that he too is knowledgeable about the town's dark past. In the novel, moreover, both Eddie and Beverly are portrayed as quite weak at defending themselves against those who torment them, even in adulthood. In the film, by contrast, both are shown increasingly standing up for themselves as it progresses and fighting back against their tormentors when necessary.
- #052
Because of the film's great success, Andy Muschietti was so certain of a sequel's future that, before the studio had officially greenlit it, he began meeting with Bill Skarsgård and Gary Dauberman to discuss the production of Chapter Two.
- #054
Although Bill Skarsgård was on set for much of the production, he did not actually begin shooting his scenes until more than half of the filming was complete. He spent the time before shooting began working with Andy Muschietti and the producers to perfect the character of Pennywise, because Skarsgård said he felt enormous pressure to play the role perfectly given Tim Curry's revered performance in IT (1990).
- #055
A 16-meter-long live-action set was built for the scene showing the floating children in the sewer. Rodeo FX then enhanced it digitally.
- #056
In the novel "It," the members of the Losers' Club ranged in age from 10 to 12. In this film, they ranged in age from 12 to 15. The two oldest actors playing the members were Chosen Jacobs and Sophia Lillis, respectively. At the time of filming, Jacobs was 15 and Lillis was 14.
- #058
Because of the film's great success, Warner Bros. distribution chief Jeffrey L. Goldstein announced that he planned to put the film in more theaters around Halloween 2017.
- #060
The number 27 is frequently associated with this story. This film was released 27 years after the original 1990 television miniseries. The book states that "It" returns to Derry roughly every 27 years. Jonathan Brandis, who played young Bill in the original film, died at the age of 27. This film was released one month after Bill Skarsgård's (Pennywise) 27th birthday. Jaeden Martell (Bill), Jeremy Ray Taylor (Ben) and Nicholas Hamilton (Henry) are 27 years younger than the actors who played the same characters in the miniseries (Jonathan Brandis (Bill), Brandon Crane (Ben), Jarred Blancard (Henry)). The official U.S. premiere date is 9/8/2017, and 9+8+2+0+1+7 = 27. The second film will be released on 9/6/2019, and 9+6+2+0+1+9=27.
- #061
Director Andy Muschietti confirmed that Bill Skarsgård sometimes spoke Swedish while playing the character of Pennywise.
- #062
Director Andy Muschietti stated that with this film and It: Chapter Two (2019), he planned to make a supercut version using extra footage and scenes not yet shot from the second film. He also stated that he would play the films back and forth with flashbacks, similar to the novel's format.
- #063
Contains a major spoiler — show
Although the film left some things out of the novel, there are things in the film that never happened in the novel. These include: * The presence of the cat when Georgie encounters Pennywise, and the cat witnessing Georgie's murder. * Bill searching intensively for Georgie for nearly a year. * Stan's encounter with Mrs. Judith the Flute Lady after struggling at his Bar Mitzvah rehearsal. * The fight between Bill and Richie. * A brief period in which the Losers' Club splits up, except for Bill and Beverly. * Stan's Bar Mitzvah. * Beverly (presumably) killing her father in self-defense. * Pennywise abducting Beverly. * Mike pushing Henry Bowers into the well in self-defense. * The entire scene in which Beverly wakes up in the sewer, Pennywise performs his strange Bob Gray dance for her, she tries to escape, and Pennywise puts her into a trance and exposes her to the Deadlights, causing her to float in the air. * Pennywise takes Bill hostage and offers the Losers a deal to hold him in exchange for saving them. * In a deleted scene that was filmed, Pennywise terrorizes a pilgrim and eats his baby in the 17th century.
- #064
Although CGI was used in some scenes, Bill Skarsgård was actually able to move his eyes in different directions in some scenes on Andy Muschietti's orders. It was initially uncertain whether he could achieve this effect on his own, but Skarsgård assured them: "I can do that." The aim was to add to Pennywise's already disturbing and unsettling appearance.
- #066
Contains a major spoiler — show
In the alternative ending, after saying goodbye to Beverly, Bill goes home to pack for the family trip mentioned in the deleted scene. As Bill and his family drive away, the camera pans toward the sewer where Georgie was taken. The shot then stops in the sewer and it begins to rain.
- #067
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As in the original novel, Eddie's mother is heavily implied to have Munchausen syndrome by proxy. Her actions throughout the film show her controlling nature toward her son. Near the end of the film, when Eddie voices her deceptive behavior of making him believe he is sick by giving him useless prescription medication, her control over him is broken.
- #069
Before the film's release, it was expected to earn about 50 million dollars in its opening weekend. As good word of mouth emerged, the number gradually rose. Ultimately the film earned about 123 million dollars, more than double the initial opening-weekend projections.
- #073
The Paul Bunyan statue in Derry's town square was based on the real Paul Bunyan statue in Bangor, Maine.
- #075
Because of the film's success, the character Pennywise became one of the most popular Halloween costumes of 2017.
- #076
In the costume rehearsal, the Losers Club's look was somewhat different (for example, Beverly had slightly longer, straighter hair, Eddie wore a hat, and most of the kids' clothes were more explorer-style). The producers ultimately decided to go with an average look for the group.
- #078
A few weeks after the film's Moscow premiere, Burger King Russia filed a complaint seeking to ban the film, arguing that McDonald's mascot Ronald McDonald looks very much like Pennywise and that the film therefore supports the competition.
- #079
The aerial shot of the town is actually Walton St. in Port Hope, Ontario, Canada.
- #081
Composer Benjamin Wallfisch included children singing the nursery rhyme "Oranges and Lemons" in the score. Director Andy Muschietti came up with the idea of using the old English rhyme. Wallfisch explained: "[Muschietti's] approach, I think, was to try and find a sound for Pennywise that was in some way his thinking voice, the sound of him thinking about the idea of attacking — or actually attacking." He further explained, "The fascinating thing about using something seemingly innocent and harmless like a children's playground song was the incredible duality between what's on the surface and what's underneath." The "Oranges and Lemons" rhyme was usually played as Pennywise lured his victims.
- #083
After Will Poulter left the project, Hugo Weaving and Bill Skarsgård became the finalists for the role of Pennywise. Skarsgård ultimately won the part reportedly because, in addition to a chilling Pennywise, he could also play a more playful and childlike Pennywise, while Weaving was said to fall short as an actor and could only play the chilling side.
- #084
(At about the 6th minute) Pennywise's eyes turn blue while he talks to Georgie, because that is the color of his mother's eyes.
- #085
Bill Skarsgård described Pennywise as "Such an extreme character. Inhumane." He added: "It's beyond even a sociopath, because he's not even human. He's not even a clown. I'm playing just one of the beings It creates. The clown Pennywise really enjoys taking this shape, and he enjoys the game and the hunt." Skarsgård elaborated on his connection to the children, saying, "There is a childishness to the character because he's so closely connected to children. The clown is a manifestation of children's imagination, so there's something childlike about it."
- #086
According to Andy Muschietti and Bill Skarsgård, there are several additional scenes that were shot but not included in the theatrical cut. A Director's Cut will be released with the additional footage for home video releases.
- #087
The scenes in the Bowers house were actually the first scenes shot, and one of the last scenes shot was the opening scene.
- #088
(At about 46 minutes) When the Losers Club first enters Ben's room, you can hear Richie mention that someone's house had a roller coaster, a chimpanzee and the bones of an old man. It would not be wrong to assume he is talking about Michael Jackson and Neverland Ranch.
- #089
The original Stephen King novel runs 1138 pages.
- #091
Following the film's success, producer Roy Lee and writer/director James Wan were planning another Stephen King adaptation, The Tommyknockers.
- #092
At one point there were rumors that Bill Skarsgård would not return to play Pennywise in the second film due to concerns that the role was negatively affecting his mental health. However, a week before the film's release, Skarsgård confirmed he had officially joined the sequel and had begun meeting with director Andy Muschietti to discuss ideas for the character and the film.
- #095
Contains a major spoiler — show
Many of the Losers' parents are shown at one point watching (or listening to) a program in which the keyword is "clown" and the phrase "all the children must come to the sewer" is spoken. This shows that the town's residents are affected by it in various ways on a daily basis.
- #096
The film had been in development for seven years before shooting began.
- #097
The word "fuck" is used 60 times in this film.
- #098
Contains a major spoiler — show
Unlike the typically combative sibling relationship depicted in the novel and the miniseries, Bill and Georgie's relationship in the film is very close. The single scene they share at the beginning of the film, Georgie's last words and the photo of the two brothers together on the projector slide all prove this. This makes Georgie's death even more heartbreaking, especially considering that Bill spent almost an entire year searching for him after he disappeared.
- #099
Anthrax, whose song "Antisocial" is used in the rock-throwing scene, has many songs based on Stephen King works, such as "Among the Living" based on King's novel The Stand, "A Skeleton in the Closet" based on the story "Apt Pupil" and "Misery Loves Company" based on his novel Misery.
- #100
In an interview with GQ, Cary Joji Fukunaga said that he left this film because some of his ideas for it were too extreme and he and New Line Cinema could not agree. He said: "Ultimately, we and New Line have to agree on what kind of movie we want to make, and we just wanted to make different movies. It's like a relationship: you can try to make the other person into the person you want them to be, but it's impossible to really change them. You just have to work."
- #101
The Flute Lady Judith was initially going to be cut from the film because she was considered "not scary." VFX supervisor Arnaud Brisebois says: "Andy [Muschietti] fought for it because it was an odd character. It wasn't really scary; it was more about discomfort. We would keep shaping the character and replicating the smallest details of her facial features until the end."
- #102
Similar to Freddy Krueger, Pennywise uses fear to terrorize and kill his victims. It can be whatever fear the person has. It is also noted that both characters use their victims' personal insecurities and pain to make them more vulnerable and easier to kill.
- #105
The first trailer reached 197 million online views in its first 24 hours, surpassing The Fate of the Furious (2017) with 139 million views to become the most-viewed trailer in history at that time. It was also the second trailer for an R-rated film, after Fifty Shades Darker (2017), to receive more than 100 million views in that time frame.
- #106
Nicholas Hamilton studied Jarred Blancard's performance of the character in IT (1990) to prepare for the role of Henry Bowers.
- #108
Contains a major spoiler — show
Director Andy Muschietti confirmed that many "It's" forms, such as the werewolf and the mummy, would be cut and replaced with new forms. He said this was to keep the horror surprising even for those who had read the book.
- #111
The rock band Anthrax, whose song "Antisocial" plays during the Rock War scene, was very happy that their song was used in the film. They congratulated Stephen King and the film's crew on the film's success and thanked them on Twitter for including their music in the film.
- #113
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Eddie's encounter with the Leper was far more disturbing in the novel. In the book, he meets the Leper outside the Neibolt House and is chased by the creature, which masturbates inside its pants while chasing him and says crude things to Eddie.
- #115
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(Around the 55th minute.) In the scene where Bill wakes in his bed to water dripping from the ceiling onto the picture of Beverly on his pillow, the drops make the red pencil she uses for her hair look like blood. This foreshadows a later scene (around 1 hour 40 minutes in) in which Beverly, abducted by Pennywise, wakes in the sewer to blood dripping from her face.
- #117
Bill Skarsgård declared himself a great admirer of Tim Curry in general and of Curry's particular performance as Pennywise in the 1990 It miniseries, but said he did not try to incorporate any of Curry's work into his own portrayal of Pennywise because he felt he could not "do Tim Curry anywhere near as well as Curry himself did." He also did not want his performance to mirror Curry's and be distracting.
- #118
The scenes in which Pennywise's teeth are revealed as he attacks his victims were partly created with CGI. According to Arnaud Brisebois, "There are even a few shots with the kill mouth where Bill Skarsgård's face is entirely replaced," adding, "In some of the early frames, we kept his actual eyes just to create a small connection."
- #119
It is the 28th film adaptation of a Stephen King work.
- #120
Contains a major spoiler — show
When Andy Muschietti first signed on to direct, the studio wanted him to use exactly the same script Cary Joji Fukunaga had planned to use; the only edit was the exclusion of more controversial scenes that would have earned the film an NC-17 rating (such as Henry Bowers having sex with a sheep and ejaculating on a birthday cake, or Beverly's father attempting to rape her). Muschietti liked the structure and human drama of Fukunaga's version, but asked to be allowed to revise the script somewhat, as the studio chose to permit, in order to make it more faithful to the novel. These changes included adding the Leper and Bill's stutter, along with some elements from the novel that Fukunaga had cut, restoring names to their original novel forms (Will to Bill, Travis to Henry, Snatch to Belch, etc.) and changing the fireworks fight back to the "Apocalyptic Rock Fight." Muschietti also planned to include the "Smokehole" scene, in which Richie and Mike use a Native American ritual to have a vision detailing how It arrived on Earth millions of years ago. The scene was deemed too expensive for the film because of the extensive CGI it required, and Muschietti had to cut it from the script. It was included in It: Chapter Two (2019) instead.
- #121
Bill Skarsgård (Pennywise) was born in 1990, the year the original It (1990) was released.
- #122
(Around the 21st minute.) As Stanley closes the book after struggling with his Bar Mitzvah speech, the title appears upside down. This could be a simple mistake, a hint that he is too troubled to practice, or a sign that he is not interested enough in religion to avoid disappointing his father. The book is the Pentateuch (the Torah).
- #123
Before the film's release, on March 7, 2017, Stephen King said on Twitter: "Andy Muschietti's remake of IT (actually it's Part 1 - The Losers' Club) succeeds beyond my expectations. Relax. Wait. And enjoy."
- #124
Contains a major spoiler — show
(Around 1 hour 55 minutes.) In the scene where Pennywise, disguised as Georgie, lures Bill before the climactic battle in the sewer, Bill clearly knew he was not his brother. This is because of the obviously missing arm, which Bill would have no knowledge of, as well as "Georgie" referring to the paper boat as "it" instead of "she," the name Bill and Georgie had agreed to give the boat. Bill had even corrected "Georgie" when he called the boat "she."
- #125
Pennywise's creepy dance scene spawned a series of funny viral memes in which he dances to any song, regardless of the variety of music genres.
- #126
Contains a major spoiler — show
The scene in the novel where Eddie breaks his arm may foreshadow his death. When he faces It in the final battle, Eddie (similar to Georgie) has his arm bitten by It and dies of blood loss while Richie and Beverly comfort him as he calls out to Bill for help. In the novel, Eddie touches Richie's face, but in the film it is the reverse.
- #127
Contains a major spoiler — show
For certain reasons, a significant scene in which Beverly has sex with all the other members of the Losers' Club to strengthen their mutual bonds was cut from the book.
- #129
Before the film's release and when it came out, most people who were unfamiliar with Bill Skarsgård or his previous acting work were genuinely surprised when they saw how the actor actually looks without his Pennywise makeup. This in fact brought the actor more public attention and newly found popularity.
- #130
The name Pennywise is spoken 4 times in the film, and 3 of these are said by the clown himself in the opening scene.
- #131
(At about 1 hour 22 minutes) In the novel, Ben Hanscom invented "Beep beep, Richie" when they wanted him to be quiet. It is not used by the Losers' Club in the film, because they simply tell him to shut up. "Beep beep, Richie" is used in the film by Pennywise as a way of mocking Richie.
- #134
In an interview, Bill Skarsgård stated that applying the clown makeup took 5 hours. However, after doing it several times, the makeup artists managed to shorten this time to as little as 2 hours.
- #135
Contains a major spoiler — show
In the fight scene at the climax, Mike is the only one who does not actually attack Pennywise or cause him pain. Pennywise either stopped or fled from the blows of Mike's weapon. When he tries to kill Mike, Stan and then Ben step in to defend Mike, respectively.
- #136
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(At about 1 hour 45 minutes) In their truest form, they are the bright orange lights called the Deadlights, found in the "Macroverse". Seeing them drives any human insane. They appear briefly in the film when Pennywise opens his mouth while holding Bev.
- #137
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Although the old woman is the only person outside when Georgie encounters Pennywise and is abducted by him, the cat is the only true witness to Georgie's murder. This probably shows that animals are aware of his evil presence and can sense him. The woman, however, like most adults in Derry, is shown to be unaware of his danger or under his influence. The cat's presence and its witnessing of Georgie's killing appeared in neither the novel nor the miniseries.
- #138
Director Andy Muschietti shared a sketch of his first Pennywise design from 2015 on his Instagram account. The sketch shows Pennywise with somewhat less hair and includes the now-iconic red makeup lines that begin at the corners of his mouth and end above his eyebrows.
- #139
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At around 1 hour 33 minutes, though it is hard to see clearly, the package Henry Bowers receives in the mail — the one containing the knife he lost while chasing Ben — appears to be addressed from Robert Gray. In the novel, It's true name is claimed to be Robert (or "Bob") Gray.
- #140
Contains a major spoiler — show
The new film adaptation foregrounds the more disturbing aspects of the novel that the original TV miniseries could not: these include more extreme acts of violence by Pennywise and the bullies, as well as the dark sexual undertones present throughout the novel (Eddie Kaspbrak's encounter with the Leper, the relationship between Henry Bowers and Patrick Hockstetter, and so on). However, the child orgy scene from the novel was cut from this film.
- #141
Guillermo del Toro wanted to make an adaptation of the Stephen King novel, but his heavy workload prevented it.
- #144
Contains a major spoiler — show
At around 1 hour 13 minutes, the "Slideshow" scene, in which Pennywise manifests through rapidly changing slides, is a nod to another Stephen King story, "The Sun Dog," in which a mangy and increasingly aggressive dog emerges through a series of Polaroid photographs before leaping out and attacking the protagonists. Pennywise also leaps out of the projection, hunches over and barks like a dog before attacking.
- #146
Sophia Lillis is not afraid of horror films and actually laughed when she first saw Bill Skarsgård as Pennywise.
- #147
The film surpassed The Sixth Sense (1999) as the highest-grossing horror film.
- #150
This is the only film in the series in which It takes multiple forms at the same time. When It kills Patrick, multiple zombies appear, and It uses the children's voices to convince Beverly that she must control the sewer. It does not use this in the sequel, and it is a rare occurrence.
- #152
Director Andy Muschietti states that, despite people's criticism, the film does not contain much CGI.
- #154
Bill Skarsgård celebrated his 26th birthday shortly before he began filming his scenes. To mark the occasion, director Andy Muschietti posted a photo on his Instagram account in which he wears a Pennywise mask and points a finger at Skarsgård.
- #157
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Georgie appears somewhat more cautious and panicked when he interacts with Pennywise. In the IT (1990) miniseries he is a bit more innocent and somewhat trusting. In this film, Georgie's visibly open discomfort toward Pennywise is more pronounced, especially after Pennywise's mood shift when he stops laughing. At the very beginning of the miniseries, the little girl who sees Pennywise through the hanging sheets seems delighted to see him, believing he is a real clown, until she notices something is wrong and reacts in a way similar to Georgie in this film.
- #158
Contains a major spoiler — show
In light of the film's reference to A Nightmare on Elm Street: The Dream Child (1989), which features one of the forms Freddy Krueger takes almost at the start, viewers and critics noticed a strong correlation between the two horror features. It (2017), A Nightmare on Elm Street (1984) and its other variations are said to share striking similarities in concept, plot and main villain. These similarities include a demonic child killer with superhuman power who hunts mainly children and teenagers and is able to inspire fear through supernatural and psychological means, manipulate or possess people, distort reality, shapeshift according to one's fears and take the guise of lost loved ones. Moreover, in both cases the uncanny adversary displays an unpredictable and sadistic personality and enjoys engaging in sick and perverse humor. It is also noted that both horror films share the theme of fear.
- #160
Other actors said to have been considered to play Pennywise included Johnny Depp, Tilda Swinton, Richard Armitage, Tom Hiddleston, Jackie Earle Haley, Jim Carrey, Kirk Acevedo, Willem Dafoe, Paul Giamatti, Hugo Weaving, Doug Jones and Channing Tatum.
- #161
Opening in 4,103 theaters in the United States, the film surpassed the previous record holder Logan (2017), which opened in 4,071 theaters, to become the widest R-rated opening in cinema history.
- #162
Contains a major spoiler — show
(At about 2 hours 10 minutes) After the credits, Pennywise is heard laughing as a sign of his return in the second chapter.
- #163
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(At about the 54th minute) In an interview, Sophia Lillis said that the blood spraying from the sink drain onto her face was the hardest scene for her to shoot.
- #164
(At about 1 hour 28 minutes) Bev is compared to Molly Ringwald, who starred in Pretty in Pink (1986). On her bedroom wall there is a poster of the band The Psychedelic Furs, who perform the song Pretty in Pink.
- #165
Finn Wolfhard was the only actor who remained on the project from Cary Joji Fukunaga's cast when Andy Muschietti took over directing.
- #167
In an interview with GQ Magazine, when asked why the film resonated with audiences, director Andy Muschietti said: "There's something about how embedded this story is in our collective memory. For all these years… it was kind of dormant. Sleeping. And now it comes out with great force. It's a story that resonates a lot with what society is living through right now." Muschietti goes on to state, "It talks to us about what it is to live in a culture. Fear, you know? Where fear is used as a tool to divide, control and repress. People who didn't know this story and went to the movies to see a horror film found something else."
- #168
Seth Green, who played young Richie Tozier in the IT (1990) miniseries, attended this film's premiere.
- #169
After The Passion of the Christ (2004), American Sniper (2014) and Deadpool (2016), it is the fourth R-rated film in history to gross over 300 million dollars domestically.
- #170
Coincidentally, the two actors who played Pennywise, Tim Curry and Bill Skarsgård, each have green eyes. Although Skarsgård's natural green eyes are never shown in this film, there are some scenes in the IT (1990) miniseries where you can see Curry's natural green eyes. Most notably in the iconic scene where he lures Georgie.
- #172
Unlike the novel, in which the children's journey with Pennywise begins in 1958, the film sets the Losers Club in 1989, four years after the club's final encounter with Pennywise in the novel.
- #175
The fictional town of Derry, Maine, the main setting of the novel "It" and its adaptations, first appeared in the short story "The Bird and the Album", written by Stephen King in 1981.
- #176
In this film and its sequel, Pennywise wears no upper eye makeup while acting manipulative and friendly toward the children, but as his appearance deteriorates, the eye makeup moves upward.
- #177
Two days before filming began, director Andy Muschietti posted a photo of his office filled with balloons on his Instagram account, a way of letting fans know that the film's pre-production had come to an end.
- #180
This film is the forty-third film adaptation of a Stephen King work.
- #181
The film's trailer angered real-life professional clowns, who said the character of Pennywise would encourage people to think of clowns as scary and murderous (though the producers and cast stated plainly that Pennywise is not a clown but a representation of the pure evil of "It," shaped from a mixture of sadism and childhood). Rallies were planned in the United States in the month after the film's theatrical release to defend the general good name of clowns.
- #183
Contains a major spoiler — show
Andy Muschietti and Barbara Muschietti fought hard (with the producers' help) to add more scenes from the novel to the film. The Smoke Hole scene was requested, but the studio considered it too expensive. Andy managed to put most of the scenes he requested back into his adaptation, such as Eddie's encounter with the Leper.
- #185
A month after the film's release, on Halloween 2017, NBA player LeBron James dressed up as Bill Skarsgård's version of Pennywise. The photo of James dressed as the character went viral, and many people noted how terrifying he looked, especially given his height. James is 4 inches taller than Skarsgård, standing 6'8" to Skarsgård's 6'4".
- #186
It was the most searched film on Google in 2017.
- #187
At the film's premiere, director Andy Muschietti wore a paper boat pin on the lapel of his suit jacket.
- #188
Director Andy Muschietti went on to direct the Netflix TV adaptation of Locke & Key (2020), based on a novel by Joe Hill, the son of famed author and It novelist Stephen King. Three actors from this film also joined the series: Jackson Robert Scott (Georgie), Owen Teague (Patrick Hockstetter) and Megan Charpentier (Gretta).
- #189
Contains a major spoiler — show
For Pennywise's constantly shifting combat transformations, the visual effects company Rodeo FX enhanced Bill Skarsgård's performance with 3D creature parts. VFX supervisor Arnaud Brisebois explains: "In the end, you can have the shape of both characters, but both can have the texture of one or the other. With some simulated effects we could balance all of that and really time it to what Andy was looking for."
- #191
Contains a major spoiler — show
When Georgie loses the boat in the sewer he says, "Bill's gonna kill me." When Pennywise/It uses Georgie's boat to signal him to come closer, he says, "Bill's gonna kill you." Later in the film, during the sewer scene, It transforms into Georgie while confronting Bill, leading Bill to shoot It in the head (while It appears as Georgie).
- #192
Bill Skarsgård's brother Alexander Skarsgård is friends with James Ransone, who played the adult Eddie in It: Chapter Two (2019). James had known Bill since he was young.
- #195
Nicholas Hamilton, who played Henry Bowers in this film, played a minor character named Lucas Hanson in another Stephen King adaptation, The Dark Tower (2017).
- #196
With this film, Bill Skarsgård and Chosen Jacobs became two of the actors from Stephen King-related films who would appear in Castle Rock (2018), a series based on King's novels. Another actor in the series is Sissy Spacek, who starred in another well-known King novel adaptation, Carrie (1976).
- #197
The film became the most profitable horror film of 2017, beating Annabelle: Creation (2017) and another surprise horror hit, Get Out (2017).
- #198
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(At about 1 hour 55 minutes) In the scene of the climactic fight, five of the Losers frantically urge Bill to shoot Pennywise, while Mike warns him that there are no more bullets after he realizes the slide of the gun is already empty, since Bill has already shot Pennywise in the guise of Georgie. When the slide-action gun is fired a second time, nothing actually comes out but the sound. This means that when Bill shot Pennywise in the forehead, Pennywise tricked him into thinking he had done it by creating a fake wound on his forehead when the gun fired and pretending to be wounded for a short time until he attacked him.
- #200
The film stayed in the top ten in DVD/Blu-ray sales for two months.
- #202
Chosen Jacobs recorded a song called "Losers" related to the film, which was not included on the film's soundtrack.
- #203
Starting in August 2016, a series of clown sightings occurred in various US states, including Florida, New York, Wisconsin and Kentucky, and then in other Western countries. By October 2016, after hundreds of "clown sightings" incidents in the United States and Canada, the phenomenon had spread from North America to Europe, Australasia and Latin America.
- #204
This is the second of three films released in 2017 based on Stephen King's literary works. The first was The Dark Tower (2017), and the third was Netflix's Gerald's Game (2017).
- #205
(Around 44 minutes) While the children watch Beverly sunbathe, Marvin Young's 1989 hit "Bust a Move" plays on the radio as Young M.C. The song gives a young man advice on how to approach a woman while keeping his cool… which is exactly what Ben has struggled to do since first meeting Beverly.
- #207
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The film explains the "You'll float too" mantra. At the climax, where the Losers defeat It in the Derry sewers, the other missing children are seen floating around the pile of sewer trash. This is the effect of It's Deadlights. Beverly is also seen floating after being rendered catatonic by It's Deadlights.
- #209
Cary Joji Fukunaga was set to direct, but after years of pre-production he left the film over differences in artistic vision and the resulting intended MPAA rating (Fukunaga wanted the film to be NC-17, and the studio was unwilling to go beyond an R rating). The studio wanted to aim for a commercially more viable film, while Fukunaga wanted a film closer to The Shining (1980) in tone and style. Andy Muschietti took over directing, and filming began in the summer of 2016.
- #211
The film was released the same week American Horror Story: Cult aired. That season focuses on a clown cult honoring the serial killer Clown Twisty from Freakshow.
- #213
Contains a major spoiler — show
Patrick Hockstetter's character and death in the film differ greatly from the novel, where his violent tendencies are described as including the drowning death of his baby brother. Also in the novel but not the film: a homosexual act with Henry, which leads to him being beaten and threatened by Henry; the killing of cats, dogs and other animals that he places in an abandoned refrigerator at the Derry quarry; and ultimately his death, in which he is killed by It in the form of large flying leeches that pierce parts of him while sucking his blood. In this film adaptation most of these are left out, and Patrick meets his death when he encounters It in a sewer tunnel after breaking away from the Bowers Gang while searching for Ben Hanscom. It, who initially appears as Derry's dead children, then appears as Pennywise hiding behind an "I 'heart' Derry" balloon. The balloon pops and begins to swallow Patrick.
- #215
Contains a major spoiler — show
Unlike the original novel and the 1990 miniseries, in this film Beverly Marsh has to kill her abusive father in self-defense. Similarly, in Carrie (1976), in the original novel and its later adaptations, Carrie White has to kill her abusive mother in self-defense. Both films are adapted from Stephen King novels.
- #216
As of April 2017, the town of Derry, Maine, was located in Port Hope, Canada, where Turtle John's restaurant stands. The turtle features heavily in the "It" and "The Dark Tower" series novels, also written by Stephen King.
- #217
Because the town is named "Derry," similar to the city of Co. Derry in Northern Ireland, the film's own premiere was held in that country. Before the film began, there was a special video in which the child actors greeted the Derry audience.
- #218
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The Paul Bunyan statue can be seen in the 4th of July parade scene. In the novel, It uses the Paul Bunyan statue to terrorize Richie. That scene was shown in the sequel It: Chapter Two (2019) during a flashback to Richie's childhood.
- #219
As in Mama (2013) and It: Chapter Two (2019), there are scenes featuring slimy, vomiting creatures in one of the main characters.
- #220
Filming began on June 27, 2016, and officially wrapped on September 20, 2016, one day before author Stephen King turned 69.
- #221
The Losers Club jerseys are tributes to various Stephen King stories, including "The Shining", "Carrie", "Christine" and "Pet Semetary".
- #223
Director Andy Muschietti shared photos from every day of filming this film on his Instagram account.
- #224
When the Losers' Club approaches Pennywise's front porch to fight him, the open iron front gate of the yard is visible behind them. It holds the number "29," which resembles the letters "e" and "s" — "es" is the German word for "it."
- #225
The film is set in 1989, the same year the miniseries was filmed.
- #227
Finn Wolfhard missed the first-season premiere of Stranger Things (2016) because he was filming this movie, and he later said he was genuinely sorry he couldn't attend.
- #228
This was Finn Wolfhard's first film.
- #229
Some filming took place in Port Hope, Ontario, Canada. It was also the filming location for another Stephen King production, the miniseries Storm of the Century (1999).
- #231
Wyatt Oleff, Bill Skarsgård and Jack Dylan Grazer have all appeared in comic book films. Oleff appeared in Guardians of the Galaxy (2014), Skarsgård in Deadpool 2 (2018) and Grazer in Shazam! (2019).
- #233
It is the second Stephen King film adaptation to be released in 2017. The first was The Dark Tower (2017). The two films that followed it were Gerald's Game (2017) and 1922 (2017), respectively.
- #234
Contains a major spoiler — show
References to the '80s: in a scene near the end of the film, as Pennywise rises toward the Losers, the movement of his body and arms recalls a scene from John Carpenter's The Thing (1982). The scene near the end in which the Losers part ways in a series of fades suggests a nod to River Phoenix's final shot as Chris Chambers at the end of Stand by Me (1986) (a Stephen King adaptation).
- #235
Contains a major spoiler — show
Mike (Chosen Jacobs) encounters It in the form of his burning parents and other fire victims trying to escape from behind a padlocked door. As Mike recounts what happened to his parents, the other arms may belong to victims of the Black Spot nightclub. In the novel, Mike's father tells him the story of the Black Spot fire started by the Maine White Legion. Ben also mentioned it in the film when he talks about his research into Derry.
- #236
Contains a major spoiler — show
The original novel depicted It manifesting in the forms of various classic Universal horror monsters of the 1930s-1940s, including the Wolfman (technically a manifestation of "It's," though the shape-shifter belongs to I Was a Teenage Werewolf (1957)), Frankenstein's Monster, the Gill-man from Black Lagoon and the Creature from the Mummy. All of these forms were cut from the film except for the Mummy, which attacks Ben at the film's climax.
- #237
(At about 1 hour 6 minutes) The song during the "Rock Fight" is the Anthrax version of "Antisocial," originally recorded by the French band The Trust.
- #238
During the first few weeks of shooting, Wyatt Oleff bought the novel to give the character Stan Uris more depth.
- #240
Jeremy Ray Taylor was the first actor cast for this film.
- #242
(At about 1 hour 45 minutes) Unlike the 1990 miniseries, this adaptation shows the Bob Gray Pennywise dance in the scene before the climax, which earned the artist the name Dancing Clown Pennywise.
- #243
The child actors hung out together off set as well and became very good friends.
- #244
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(At about 1 hour 26 minutes) A tribute to the werewolf form taken from the novel comes in the sequence in which Pennywise advances toward the Losers after initially trying to eat Eddie. The clown's arm turns into a hairy, long, werewolf-like hand, which can also be seen in the film's promotions and trailers.
- #246
(At about 1 hour 35 minutes) In keeping with the main setting of 1989, A Nightmare on Elm Street: The Dream Child (1989) appears within the frame of the film. Director Andy Muschietti also stated in an interview that the Freddy Krueger form was considered as a fear for one of the Losers' Club members and one for Pennywise. Ultimately, however, it was dropped because it did not feel right and because they wanted to stay attached to trauma and childhood fears without straying too far into meta.
- #247
Contains a major spoiler — show
The first person to die in the film is Georgie Denbrough (Bill Denbrough's younger brother), right after he loses the paper boat. One of his last words is "Bill's gonna kill me!". The actor who plays Pennywise (who kills Georgie) is Bill Skarsgård.
- #248
Pennywise's house in the new adaptation of "It" was built and filmed in Oshawa, Ontario, Canada.
- #249
Ty Simpkins was planned to play "Willy Denbrough" while Cary Joji Fukunaga was still directing. When Andy Muschietti took over, Jaeden Martell replaced him and the character's name was changed back to the original "Bill Denbrough."
- #250
Stephen King based parts of the fictional town of Derry on real places in Maine. The Derry standpipe, which plays an important role in the novel, is based on the Thomas Hill Standpipe in Bangor. Although it is not an integral part of the film, the real Thomas Hill Standpipe appears on the postcard Ben writes to Beverly. There is also a shot in Bill's film in front of the real Thomas Hill Standpipe.
- #251
Finn Wolfhard could not attend the premiere of "Stranger Things" (2016) because he was in the middle of filming It (2017).
- #252
(At about 12 minutes) While Beverly sits in the school restroom being bullied by other students, the words "Hate Clown" are shown written in black above the bathroom stall. Beverly has a black pen in her hand, suggesting she may have written it herself. If you look closely at the production photos, you can see that Beverly wrote 'Gretta Keene is a total bitch' twice. This reinforces the idea that she is constantly tormented and mocked by Gretta and her friends.
- #254
Bill Skarsgård was three months old when the original It miniseries aired.
- #255
Bill Skarsgård's father, Stellan Skarsgård, appeared in The Hunt for Red October (1990) alongside Tim Curry, the original actor to play Pennywise.
- #256
Tilda Swinton and Richard Armitage were both in contention to play Pennywise.
- #257
In the aerial view of downtown Derry (Port Hope, Ontario, Canada), the central section of the red brick building on the left that appears behind the trees was replaced with CG, including a weathered "DERRY" sign. In real life there is no "DERRY" sign, but the building does have a blank red brick area with four windows that is not visible in the film.
- #258
Ben Hanscom and Beverly Marsh are shown bonding over their shared love of New Kids on the Block. One of the group's members, Donnie Wahlberg, appeared in Dreamcatcher (2003), another Stephen King adaptation set in Derry, Maine.
- #259
Skarsgård played Pennywise/It in this film, in It: Chapter Two (2019) and in the television series It: Welcome to Derry (2025). He also played Count Orlok/Nosferatu in Nosferatu (2024).
- #260
Wyatt Oleff (Stanley Uris), Chosen Jacobs (Mike Hanlon), Bill Skarsgård (Pennywise), Jackson Robert Scott (Georgie), Jack Dylan Grazer (Eddie Kaspbrak) and director Andy Muschietti celebrated their birthdays on set.
- #261
This was Jackson Robert Scott's first horror film. His second was The Prodigy (2019).
- #262
This was Jackson Robert Scott's first film. Before it, his only acting credit was a single-episode role on the television series Criminal Minds (2005).
- #263
After Cary Joji Fukunaga's departure, Mike Flanagan was desperate to begin talks with the studio for the directing position.
- #265
At around 1 hour 35 minutes, Richie is playing the Street Fighter (1987) arcade game. In 2017, the year the film was released, Street Fighter celebrated its 30th anniversary.
- #266
This film is the sixth Stephen King film adaptation released in the 2010s.
- #267
This was Kate Moyer's debut.
- #269
Stephen King said that "Lord of the Flies" had an influence on "It," explaining: "I thought I really wanted to write a story myself about what is gained and what is lost when you go from childhood to adulthood, and also about the things we experience in childhood that are like seeds that later bloom." Also, the fictional town of Castle Rock, which appears in several King stories and is briefly mentioned in "It," is named after a camp used by one of the characters from "Lord of the Flies."
- #270
It eclipsed the previous record holder, Hotel Transylvania 2 (2015), to become the biggest September opening weekend of all time.
- #271
New Kids on the Block's "You Got It (The Right Stuff)," which is mentioned twice in the film, was released as a single in the United States in November 1988. The film begins in October 1988 and then jumps ahead to the summer of 1989.
- #272
Wyatt Oleff and Jeremy Ray Taylor had previously worked together on the film The History of Us (2015).
- #275
Jack Dylan Grazer and Jaeden Martell each played the love interest of Rachel Zegler in different films: Grazer in Shazam! Fury of the Gods (2023) and Martell in Y2K (2024).
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