Andy Muschietti joins me for Episode 8 of The Fourth Wall to discuss "IT Chapter Two" in full spoilers!
Andy first garnered the attention of many with his 2013 debut "Mama." The film was based on his three minute short of the same name which also piqued the interest of Guillermo del Toro who went on to executive produce the feature. Muschietti's work and success on "Mama" proved him to be a real emerging talent in the horror genre and it's easy to see why he was brought on for the adaptation of Stephen King's "IT." Embarking on a massive undertaking, Muschietti brought to life King's novel for a new generation amassing both critical and commercial success as 2017's "It" became the highest-grossing horror film of all time. It's only fitting that "IT Chapter Two" is hot on its heels as the film already has the second-highest horror movie opening of all time.
While the adult portion of "IT" has always been notoriously divisive, Muschietti understood that in order for it to work, he needed to cut out some of King's more outlandish material and maintain focus on the Losers and their journey. For this, the director looked to classics that had an impact on him at an early age such as "The Neverending Story" and "E.T." for inspiration. During our conversation, we not only discuss how Muschietti managed to create such a satisfying conclusion but we also get into how he crafted some incredibly seamless and inventive scene transitions, the challenges of making a two hour and forty-five-minute horror epic, reinventing the character of Ritchie, and, in relation to the film's meta-commentary about creators who can't properly end their stories, his favorite movie that couldn't quite nail the ending (his answer may surprise you).
