Stranger Things, the Netflix juggernaut and Duffer brothers’ love letter to ’80s nostalgia, owes many of its tropes and its very existence, to Stephen King’s oeuvre. Show co-creators Matt and Ross Duffer had asked to helm the Warner Brothers’ remake of King’s seminal It, but the pair were denied the opportunity for reportedly being too green. And thank Heavens for that, because it was via this rejection that Stranger Things was born.
Now, in an example of influence coming full circle, It producer Dan Lin says the reboot will feature nods to ’80s classic horror in a similar fashion to the Netflix hit.“[Stranger Things is] very much an homage to ’80s movies, whether it’s classic Stephen King or even [Steven] Spielberg. Think about Stand by Me as far as the bonding amongst the kids. But there is a really scary element in Pennywise,” Lin said to Collider, referencing It‘s iconic clown antagonist. According to Lin, shooting of the kids’ scenes has wrapped and production will continue with Pennywise.
“Each kid, like a Goonies or Stand By Me, has a very specific personality and they’re forming the loser’s club obviously,” he continued. “And now finally the evil force is coming into our movie. We’ve spent a few months getting the kids to bond and now they’re going to fight this evil, scary clown.” Though calling any clown scary seems a bit redundant.
It is expected to hit theaters Sept. 8, 2017.
(Via Entertainment Weekly)
