The big question concerning the cast of IT is who will play the characters as grown-ups in the sequel. But as we wait for announcements on the last of those actors to be revealed (and confirmation on some that have been), there’s also the question of what the original players are up to next.
While the six kids who portrayed the Losers’ Club members are expected to return for flashback scenes in IT: Chapter Two, that’s not certain. The movie focuses on them as adults. Meanwhile, the remarkable ensemble of teen actors have other gigs for us to look forward to.
Here’s all that we know about so far:
Finn Wolfhard
Before hitting the big screen as Richie in IT, Wolfhard was already familiar to audiences as Mike in Netflix’s Stranger Things. That’s still his highest profile future effort, as he’s reprising the role for Season Three due to stream in 2019.
As for his return to the big screen, Wolfhard is part of the canine-loving ensemble in this summer’s Dog Days, a more serious and family friendly outing for director Ken Marino (How to Be a Latin Lover).
Then next year he stars alongside The Florida Project breakout Brooklyn Prince as one of the kids under Mackenzie Davis’s care in the Steven Spielberg-produced “Turn of the Screw” adaptation The Turning, directed by Floria Sigismondi. That’s due in February.
And following his likely return as Richie for flashbacks in IT: Chapter Two, Wolfhard will co-star in John Crowley’s anticipated adaptation of “The Goldfinch,” for which he has another role as the younger version of a main character. While Bill Hader is his older self for IT, here the actor will play young Boris, later portrayed as an adult by Aneurin Barnard.
Jack Dylan Grazer
Just after garnering attention for his part as Eddie in IT, the nephew of big time producer Brian Grazer starred in the short-lived CBS sitcom Me, Myself & I. Fortunately, the show’s cancelation likely resulted in him being available for much bigger things.
Most notably, Grazer is currently filming Shazam!, the DC superhero movie in which he plays the title character’s teenage sidekick. As comic book character Freddie Freeman, an orphan with a physical disability, he’s Billy Batson’s best friend and sort of becomes his “man in the chair” when Batson turns into the adult-sized Shazam.
Given the movie’s comparisons to Big, that makes Grazer the equivalent of Jared Rushton’s character, Billy, in that Tom Hanks classic (fortunately, Grazer didn’t also copy Rushton’s career by appearing in the new Overboard remake). There’s also rumor that Freeman will become super-sized in Shazam!, possibly played in adult form by Adam Brody.
Before hitting the big time in the DC Extended Universe, Grazer will appear in this fall’s Beautiful Boy, a potential awards contender about a father and son dealing with the latter’s meth addiction. He portrays Nic Sheff as a 12 year old who starts abusing drugs and alcohol before morphing into recent Oscar nominee Timothee Chalamet as the fully addicted adult version of the real-life 13 Reasons Why co-writer.
Sophia Lillis
One of the primary standouts to critics and audiences watching IT, and surely the one to be seen as breaking out the most from her role as one of the members of the Losers’ Club, Sophia Lillis has been adding tons of promising projects to her docket since playing Beverly in the Stephen King adaptation.
This summer, she will appear in Marti Noxon’s HBO limited series Sharp Objects, which is based on Gillian Flynn’s novel of the same name and will be helmed by Jean-Marc Vallee (Big Little Lies). Like other IT kids’ next roles, she’ll be playing the younger version of the main character, who’ll be played by Amy Adams — interestingly enough, Adams was a fan favorite to play older Beverly in IT: Chapter Two, but Jessica Chastain got that part instead.
Another exciting role for Lillis is in The Burning Season, Claire McCarthy’s follow-up to her acclaimed new feminist take on “Hamlet,” Ophelia. The young actress will play the daughter of a scientist (Naomi Watts) whose work saving endangered lemurs transplants them both to Madagascar, straining their relationship.
Most noteworthy, though, has to be the fact that she’s the new Nancy Drew for the big screen. Lillis has been cast as the iconic teen detective for an adaptation of “The Hidden Staircase.” While there won’t be any killer clowns in that mystery, just seeing the actress sleuthing with a spooky setting should delight her new fans garnered with IT.
Jaeden Lieberher
Having broken out a few years earlier as the star of St. Vincent, Lieberher has become one of his generation’s finest child actors and has already had a nice career with continued lead roles in Midnight Special and The Book of Henry, never mind that those two movies were barely seen, especially compared to the success of IT.
He also had a recurring part on HBO’s Masters of Sex.
Before presumably reprising his role as Losers’ Club leader Bill for flashbacks in IT: Chapter Two, Lieberher will again take the top spot in another movie where he’s surrounded by big name actors: The True Adventures of Wolfboy has him playing opposite John Turturro and Chloe Sevigny as a runaway in search of his estranged mother.
After that, the young actor will return to the horror genre for Veronika Franz and Severin Fiala’s follow-up to their acclaimed narrative feature debut Goodnight Mommy. This time the Austrian duo is helming The Lodge, a movie also starring Riley Keough and Richard Armitage about siblings staying in a spooky cabin with their new stepmother.
Chosen Jacobs
The actor who plays young Mike Hanlon in IT will continue to be more prominently found on the small screen going forward. He is likely to make more appearances as Chi McBride’s son on the popular TV series Hawaii 5-0, which has been renewed for a ninth season.
He will also show up on the upcoming sitcom American Woman, albeit in an uncertain capacity, and he will maintain his connection to Stephen King with a recurring role on this summer’s highly anticipated Hulu series Castle Rock, which is inspired by the author’s works and also will feature IT villain Bill Skarsgard.
Jeremy Ray Taylor
The boy who plays young Ben in IT hasn’t been quite as successful at securing more notable gigs since the blockbuster King adaptation was in theaters. He had an uncredited role in last fall’s Geostorm, and keeping to light horror fare he has been cast in some sort of undisclosed role in Goosebumps: Haunted Halloween.
Wyatt Oleff
With absolutely no projects lined up that we know of, the actor who plays young Stanley seems the least successful post-IT. This despite his having the honor of being young Peter Quill in the flashback sequences of the Guardians of the Galaxy movies — maybe he’ll return for Vol.3?
The only thing we’ve seen of him since is Sia’s “Santa’s Coming for Us” music video, in which he and his IT costar Lillis (along with Stranger Things‘ Caleb McLaughlin) play Kristen Bell’s children (watch it below). Hopefully he’ll join the other kids and continue his already cool career.
Related Topics: IT
