'It: Chapter 3' Release Date Somehow Possible — Here's How It Could Happen

It: Chapter Two offered a definitive end to the story of It’s cyclical reign of terror in Derry, Maine. The actor who plays Pennywise the Dancing Clown and the director of both It movies, however, are open to the idea of making a third movie featuring the character.

In the final confrontation against It, we get some clear indications that the creature is gone for good. Not only do the members of the Losers’ Club bully Pennywise into submission and rip out its heart, but the blood oath scars on their hands disappear and they retain all of their memories once they leave Derry. “The book ends where the second movie ends, so that is the final chapter of this story,” Pennywise actor Bill Skarsgård said in an Entertainment Weekly interview published September 8.

Andy Muschietti, who directed both It films, agreed with the film’s conclusion, telling Digital Spy, “This is the conclusion of the story between the Losers versus Pennywise. This is the end. At the end, there’s a conclusion, there’s a resolution.”

However, both Skarsgård and Muschietti couldn’t leave it at that.

In an interview with i09, Muschietti spoke of the “mythology” behind It that the book explores more deeply, material that the films had to avoid dealing with for the most part due to time constraints.

“Mythology is something that always has opportunities to explore,” he said. “It has been on Earth for millions of years. He’s been in contact with humans for hundreds of years, every 27 years. So you can imagine the amount of material.”

Skarsgård said something similar to EW that a potential future film “would have to be the right type of approach to it.”

The actor admitted that because It has been around for millennia, there’s perhaps all of human history to play with. “There is this interesting aspect of going back in time before all this happened,” Skarsgård said. “There might be a story there that might be worth exploring. Obviously that would be a story that’s not in the book, it would be a freestanding story, but obviously within the same universe. So, there might be something interesting out of it. I think it would be fun.”

If that’s the case, does It: Chapter Three become a weird story of cosmic science fiction, delving into Stephen King’s wider multiverse mythology? Or is it a Pennywise origin story about how and why It first develops the guise of a creepy clown? Even if a third It movie never happens, the overwhelming financial success of the first two movies might compel everyone involved to attempt a third movie.

Box Office Mojo estimates that between the two films, the franchise has grossed $920.7 million at the worldwide box office. While Pennywise isn’t likely to reach that billion-dollar mark in his current state, a third movie would absolutely push it over that hurdle.

It: Chapter Three is unconfirmed, but it feels like a terrifying possibility in the not-so-distant future.