'It Chapter 3' Could Happen, But With One Major Difference For The Franchise

Mild spoilers for It Chapter Two ahead. The It sequel marks the end of the Loser's Club saga as Stephen King originally wrote it, but there might be more to the story, at least on film. In a recent interview, the It Chapter 2 director hinted that It Chapter 3 could happen, which means it's possible Pennywise will continue haunting our dreams for years to come.

In a new interview with io9, It Chapter 2 director Andy Muschietti and producer Barbara Muschietti talked about the possibility of another It movie. “The book, as it is, is done,” Barbara told io9. “There is a whole mythology to the book though,” her brother Andy added.

For those that haven't read Stephen King's It and don't want to have Chapter Two spoiled for them, you might want to turn back now, since this is where things get a little spoiler-y. Consider that a warning for what you're about to read.

"It has been on Earth for millions of years," Andy said of Pennywise's past. "He’s been in contact with humans for hundreds of years, every 27 years. So you can imagine the amount of material."

This is something one of the It Chapter Two trailers seems to reveal. In the teaser, released back in May, the all-grown up Beverly Marsh, played by Jessica Chastain, returns to Derry, Maine and has a very informative and horrifying run-in with Pennywise's daughter. The elderly woman lets Beverly know a fun fact about Derry: "No one who dies here ever really dies" before telling her that her father joined the circus. A photo on the wall shows Pennywise without all his clown makeup, just a man who let's be honest still looks pretty sinister even without all the face paint.

While the brother-sister team is open to more It films, they made it clear that no other sequels or prequels are in development just yet. "It’s always exciting to think of eventually exploring this mythology,” Muschietti told io9. “It’s very exciting. But, for now, there’s nothing on the table.”

To be fair, It Chapter Two doesn't hit theaters until Sept. 6 so maybe the studio is waiting to see how it's received before greenlighting another film. The first It movie featuring Bill Skarsgård as the red balloon-carrying Pennywise, was a major hit that broke opening weekend records in 2017, making a sequel a no-brainer. According to Atom Tickets, the sequel is now the site's highest pre-selling horror film, per SyFy, which is a good sign for those fans who want to see more It films.

In an interview with Entertainment Weekly in May, Skarsgård talked a little about what fans can expect from the clown this time around. Turns out, Pennywise is even more bloodthirsty in the sequel. And he might also be a little scared, possibly for the first time.

“He’s inflicted fear on his prey, and he’s very focused on fear, but he’s never experienced it himself,” Skarsgård told EW. “Now he’s experienced something that he has been inflicting on others and … there’s a shift leading into the second movie.” Almost makes you want to know the story of how Pennywise got this way in the first place, now doesn't it?