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Throughout Stephen King’sIt , Pennywise is referred to as a male , but author Stephen King pulled a fast one on readers in theItbook ending by revealing the tool ’s on-key form was a pregnant wanderer , implying that it is , in fact , biologically distaff . So why has Pennywise solely been play by manful actors inIt ’s boob tube and film version ? And is the theatrical role actually male , distaff , or something else wholly ?
Pennywise was always going to be a difficult fictional character to bring to life , as there are many confusing elements around his mythos . The shapeshifting creatureterrorized the residents of Derry , Maine , every 27 yearsby taking on the pattern they fear the most . The story ’s main group , the Losers ' Club , figures out that Pennywise has the power to do this because he ’s an extra - terrestrial creature that ’s jillion of years old . So in a way , Pennywise ’s origins almost allow him to transcend gender norm altogether .
Related : IT : How A Movie Easter Egg Teases Pennywise ’s Origin
Itis such a dense book that many details needed to be let go for the television set and movie adaptations — Pennywise ’s runny gender and complex mythology were part of the changes . The reveal of Pennywise ’s pregnancy may have been an substantive moment in theItbook ending , but there ’s a simple reason it was never shown on the screen . It would ’ve just been too difficult to explicate .
How Is Pennywise Pregnant In The It Book Ending?
It ’s clearly established in theItbook end that Pennywise most commonly appears to the Losersin the cast of a clown . As the wight is referred to as " he " in this manikin , it can be assumed that the clown is virile . Since that goofball is Pennywise ’s most used human body , it makes sense that both adaptations would depict him as a clown . So course , it would make signified for a male actor to be cast in the character of Pennywise despite the book ’s pregnancy reveal . In fact , neither adjustment ofItfelt the penury to maintain or comment on their decision to cast a male actor to play Pennywise — it just seemed like the obvious pick . Since It ’s spider - form pregnancy was left out of both movies and the idiot box miniseries , it was n’t one ofPennywise ’s many formsthat needed further examination unless people are familiar with theItbook ending .
While bring the killer clown to life on screen was simple , there were plenty of elements of the novel that were not . Itis more than 1,100 pages long , and movie and television receiver adaptations must condense their reservoir textile to ensure they work for the silver screen . So , parts ofIthad to go . King ’s novel famously gets a little out there — a select example being that Pennywise ’s enemy is a giant turtle . Both version needed to curve contingent that were too weird or confusing to be commercially successful . Suddenly revealing that a male merry andrew was a pregnant wanderer tool at the ending ofItwould have confused people .
However , 2019’sIt Chapter Twodropped several Easter eggsreferring to the details from the book that had to be dilute . This proved that the adaptation observe its roots and the masses who read the original tale , even though it did n’t always explain the more confusing elements of King ’s story in detail . Besides Pennywise ’s pregnant spider form , there were other constituent of theItbook end that were left out .
touch : Did Pennywise Die In IT : Chapter 2 ? It ’s Complicated
It Movie Vs. Book: Other Differences Between The It Reboot And The Book
When it comes down to theItbook ending , there ’s a stack that ’s been changed for the movie version — and some of those are for the better . There ’s only so much time a motion picture offers , so certain thing must be changed or left out of literary adaptation . WhileIt : Chapter OneandTwodo a decent job of capturing the book ’s overall center and themes , peck of small detail were change or leave out . For example , Richie Tozier is n’t gay in theItnovels – at least not explicitly . While it ’s arguable that the subtext suggests that Richie may be blot out his true gender , there is n’t enough outright evidence linking these to the change made for the movie . While some family relationship were overstated , others were n’t explored in - depth at all . Henry Bowers ' dad is a fuzz in the film , while in the Book , he ’s a racist and abusive farmer . Patrick Hockstetter , one of Bowers ' cronies who Owen Teague playact , has a dubious backstory in the books that includes trying to remove his own infant sib .
WhileIt : Chapter Twogot Mike Hanlon ’s write up right , It : Chapter Oneswitched the character of Ben Hanscom and Mike . It was always Mike that was intrigue by the history of Derry and spend a peck of time at the library — not Ben . The origins of the Ritual of Chud are also unlike in the book . In the novel , Maturin the turtle(who pop up in other Stephen King works ) is the one who gifted Bill Denbrough with the noesis behind the ritual . TheItbook ending also let in a scene that was thankfully left out of the movie , in which the intact chemical group of youngster loses their virginity to Beverly Marsh . Finally , another change arrive from the clip period itself . WhileItthe film series is based in 1980 and the current day , the Koran ’s two time periods are 1957 and 1984 .
Next : Stephen King ’s IT : Why Pennywise Is fundamentally A Lovecraft Monster