IT: Chapter Two might not have garnered the same amount of critical acclaim as its predecessor, but it’s still doing big business at the box office (even though fewer people went to see this movie during its opening weekend). The film also marks one of the more ambitious studio horror movies in recent years, so here’s hoping that its success inspires more interesting pieces of scare fare in the mainstream going forward.
One of the film’s main strengths, however, is its impressive ensemble. With its combination of Hollywood superstars, talented veterans, and stars of the future, the Andy Muschietti-helmed sequel boasts an abundance of talent across the board who all give some terrific performances.
With this being the final installment of IT, though, the cast must now move on to new movies and TV shows. I’m sure I’m not the only one who’s looking forward to seeing what these actors do next, so I’ve compiled a list of their known upcoming projects.
Jessica Chastain
Chastain has no less than six movies either confirmed or rumored on the horizon. In Eve, she’ll play a deadly assassin who must fight for her survival following a botched job. Keeping up with the action and espionage, she’ll also lead a cast that includes Diane Kruger, Penelope Cruz, and Lupita Nyong’o in 355, which follows a diverse group of international female spies. If that’s not enough badassery for you, she’ll also flex her action chops in The Division, a David Leitch-helmed movie about chaos breaking out New York.
In The Good Nurse, she’ll star alongside Eddie Redmayne and play a caregiver who gets blamed for the deaths of hundreds of hospital patients. Elsewhere, she’s set to play the lead in The Eyes of Tammy Faye, a biopic about the evangelist singer whose husband (played by Andrew Garfield in the movie) was imprisoned on numerous counts of fraud. Finally, she’ll also star in George and Tammy, another musical biopic, this time about country and western singers George Jones and Tammy Wynette.
Sophia Lillis
With the IT movies, Lillis has already made a name for herself by starring in horror movies with strong coming-of-age themes. Her next feature, Gretchel and Hansel, continues that tradition. While the movie will reimagine the iconic fairy tale as authentically as possible, the story will mostly revolve around Lillis as the titular sister tasked with protecting her little sibling from a hungry old woman.
On the small screen front, Willis will star in I Am Not Okay with This, which follows a teenager who must navigate high school while dealing with her superpowers. The series is based on a book by the same author who wrote The End of the F***ing World and will also be helmed by Jonathan Entwistle, who brought that novel to the screen,
In addition to those projects, she’ll also join Naomi Watts in The Burning Season, which follows a mother and daughter who must survive the wilds of Madagascar while trying to protect endangered lemurs.
James McAvoy
The Scottish actor’s upcoming slate contains only one project. But at least it’s a highly anticipated HBO series that’s been drawing comparisons to Game of Thrones. Based on Philip Pullman’s epic trilogy of fantasy novels, His Dark Materials follows two young children who embark on an adventure through parallel universes. McAvoy plays Lord Asriel, a devilish fellow — and a relative of one of the kids — who plans to overthrow the Church and establish his own kingdom.
In the books, Asriel is a complex character with villainous and antihero traits (he was modeled after Satan in Paradise Lost). McAvoy excels at playing characters who aren’t so easy to define, so this role will be right up his alley.
Jaeden Martell
With IT: Chapter Two done and dusted, the young actor won’t be starring in lighthearted fare any time soon. He’ll also be working with Chris Evans in both of his upcoming projects, so expect those to make some noise. The first, Knives Out, is a dark comedy about a detective tasked with investigating the death of the patriarch of a dysfunctional family. In the movie, he plays the murder victim’s grandson.
After that, Martell will appear in Defending Jacob as the titular character. The series, which is based on William Landay’s novel of the same name, sees his character at the center of a murder investigation after he’s accused of killing a classmate.
Martell seems drawn to interesting projects that revolve around death. That said, if his performances in the IT movies showed us anything, it’s that he’s great at sinking his teeth into this kind of macabre subject matter.
Bill Hader
Following his latest foray into horror, Hader will be returning to the comedy and drama genres that made him a household name. His next project is Noelle, a Christmas comedy about Santa’s daughter (Anna Kendrick) taking over the family business. In the movie, he plays Santa’s son, who’s reluctant to take over the business himself. After that, he’ll star in Empress of Serenity, in which he plays a man who tries to make amends with his estranged father following his mother’s death.
Finn Wolfhard
Wofhard’s schedule is littered with movies that will see him continue to explore the spookier side of entertainment. Up next, he’ll voice Pugsley Addams in the animated The Addams Family film, which will hit Netflix just in time for Halloween. After that, he’ll appear in The Turning, a modernized remake of The Turn of the Screw that also features Mackenzie Davis. Keeping up with the horror-ish efforts, he’s also set to play a key role in Ghostbusters 2020. This young actor is well on his way to becoming a horror icon, but he’s also picking a diverse range of ghoulish movies.
Outside of horror, he’ll also appear in The Goldfinch, an adaptation of the Pulitzer Prize-winning novel that looks even darker than his other upcoming projects.
Jay Ryan
At the time of this writing, Ryan appears to be taking a vacation from acting. After completing IT: Chapter Two, as well as the TV series Mary Kills People, he’s been working nonstop, so he’s earned some rest. That said, in an interview with the NZHerald, he stated his desire to only work with creators who are very “hands-on,” so perhaps he’s just waiting for the right person and project to come along.
Jeremy Ray Taylor
Between the IT movies and Goosebumps 2: Haunted Halloween, Taylor is another actor who’s drawn toward spookier material. Therefore, it’s unsurprising to learn that he’ll be in the upcoming Are You Afraid of the Dark? reboot series. Much like Goosebumps 2, this one will be all about making horror for children, as opposed to adult-oriented horror about kids being eaten.
Andy Bean
Bean is another actor who looks set to take a break for a while. However, here’s hoping that Warner Bros. execs change their mind and bring the recently canceled Swamp Thing show, in which he played Alec Holland, back from the dead. That won’t happen, though, because no one wants to give Swampy a real chance on the screen.
Wyatt Oleff
For his next two projects, Oleff will be starring in short films. The first, The Weight of Perfection, is about a star gymnast with an eating disorder. Oh, Sorry, meanwhile, follows a grieving woman who must turn to her young brother for support after a horrible event. Finally, he will also star alongside IT co-star Sophia Lillis in I Am Not Okay with This.
Isaiah Mustafa
Mustafa has come a long way since his days as “the Old Spice Guy,” and watching him evolve into the actor he’s become in that time has been fascinating. The former football player joined IT: Chapter Two off the back of the Shadowhunters series, and his acting focus until now has mainly been small-screen roles. With the success of this movie, however, he’ll move onto bigger things going forward.
Chosen Jacobs
Jacobs is one of several breakout stars from the IT movies, so the world is his oyster. Right now, he doesn’t have any confirmed acting gigs on his schedule, but he has revealed that he wants to move away from horror and play Muhammad Ali in a biopic and join the Marvel Cinematic Universe someday. In the meantime, you can check out his music.
James Ransone
Ransone is arguably the MVP of IT: Chapter Two, so many moviegoers will be keen to see what he does next. His next movie is a thriller called What We Found, but it’s still in the early stages, and details about the plot are unknown. Hopefully, he has more comedy in his future, though. He’s the comic relief of the IT sequel, and his interviews during the film’s press cycle have been hilarious.
Jack Dylan Grazer
This young actor is an exciting prospect, and his future roles look very exciting. First, he’ll appear in Don’t Tell a Soul, in which he plays a teenage thief who ends up matching wits with a troubled security guard (played by Rainn Wilson, who’s great at playing disturbed individuals). After that, he’ll play a key role in Luca Guadagnino’s mini-series We Are Who We Are, which follows two American teenagers who live in a military base in Italy. Guadagnino’s projects are generally universally acclaimed, so expect Grazer to continue his ascent.
Bill Skarsgård
As impressive as the IT: Chapter Two cast is, Skarsgård is the most memorable performer of the bunch. Villains are always the most fun, and Pennywise the Dancing Clown is one of the best pop culture baddies out there. Unsurprisingly, then, Skarsgård is a sought-after talent with a busy slate.
Next year, he’ll appear a few movies. In The Devil All the Time, he’ll join Robert Pattinson and Tom Holland in a drama about some bizarre people’s life journeys from World War II through the 1960s. In Naked Singularity, he’ll star alongside John Boyega in a crime story about a lawyer whose life falls apart after he loses a case.
Nine Days, on the other hand, will see him return to fantastical fare in a story about a man who conducts interviews with human souls to give them an opportunity to be born. On top of that, he’ll appear in Gilded Rage, which is based on the real-life murder of investment banker Thomas Gilbert Sr.
Last, but not least, he’ll play Philip II of Spain in Emperor, a historical action epic about a young girl who plans to kill Emperor Charles V.
Related Topics: it: chapter 2
