It Chapter Two: Comparing the Adult vs. Kid Stars

X-Men star James McAvoy takes over from Jaeden Martell as the leader of the Losers’ Club. As an adult, Bill is now a successful novelist.

According to Martell, the Oscar nominee was the first choice to take over the role, telling USA Today that director Andy Muschietti “always wanted James McAvoy to play it. I was just super excited about that. I’m flattered.”

As dream-casted by many fans before the casting news became official, two-time Oscar nominee Jessica Chastain plays the adult Beverly, who is a successful fashion designer stuck in a string of abusive relationships following her childhood abuse. Sophia Lillis became one of It’s breakout stars after playing young Beverly in the 2017 hit film, going on to star in HBO’s Sharp Objects and playing the famous Nancy Drew in Warner Bros.’ big-screen adaptation. 

For adult Beverly, Chastain was the producers’ first and only choice, and even toyed with adding a post-credits at the end of the first movie that would reveal the big casting news. 

It’s fitting that Saturday Night Live vet and Barry star Bill Hader is stepping into the role originated by Stranger Things‘ Finn Wolfhard in the first film, as Richie grew up to become a stand-up comedian, putting his foul language undoubtedly to good use. 

While Hader is a celebrated Emmy winner, he credited Wolfhard for landing him the job. 

“Finn got me the job,” Hader said during the press conference for It Chapter Two. “He said, ‘I want [Bill Hader] to play it,’ and then my agent sent me a link saying, ‘Hey, look at this.’ I was like, ‘Well that’s nice,’ and then months later my agent called me and said, ‘Andy Muschietti wants to meet you for It Two,‘ and I was like, ‘Finn must be the most powerful person in Hollywood.'”

While the rest of the Losers’ Club left town, Chosen Jacobs‘ Mike stuck around Derry, Maine, with Shadowhunters star Isaiah Mustafa playing the older iteration of the character, who is now a troubled librarian that brings the childhood friends back together when It returns. 

This casting news seems to be kismet, as Mustafa actually means “chosen” in Arabic. 

Power star Andy Bean plays the grown-up version of Stanley, who is now working as an account in Atlanta and is married to a school teacher, taking over the role from Wyatt Olef. 

After being bullied as a kid for being overweight, Beauty and the Beast hunk Jay Ryan will play the adult slimmed-down version of Ben, who is now a successful architect, filling in for Jeremy Ray Taylor. 

Ryan recently revealed he ended up being cast as the adult Ben after sending in a childhood photo.

“So they asked, to get me over the line, could I send photographs of me at the age Jeremy was in It Chapter One,” Ryan told USA Today. “I look very similar to Jeremy. It sealed the deal.”

Taylor was skeptical when he first heard the casting news…until he saw the photo Ryan sent him, saying, “I lost it. Our eyes are uncanny. We both squint a lot. And our mannerisms are the exact same.”

James Ransone portrays the adult version of the hypochondriac Eddie, first played by Jack Dylan Grazer, who would go on to star in DC’s hit movie Shazam!. 27 years later, Eddie runs a limousine business in New York City and is married to a woman who is just as overbearing as his mother was. 

it isn’t the only villain back to terrorize the club in the sequel; after being committed for murdering his father and two friends in 1989, Teach Grant takes over from Nicholas Hamilton as Henry after he escaped from an insane asylum to go after the Losers.