Stephen King’s It Afloat Again With Mama Director

We weren’t quite at the long-term commitment level of Edgar Wright to Ant-Man, but still, director Cary Fukunaga had been attached to directing two films based on Stephen King‘s It since 2012.

Apparently a top priority for the studio, producers Dan Lin, Seth Grahame-Smith, Roy Lee, and David Katzenberg are getting the remake back on track.

The two-part adaptation of It was supposed to start shooting in late June; a new start date hasn’t yet been confirmed.

Will Poulter had been attached to play Pennywise before Mr. Fukunaga exited so it’s unclear if he will remain in the role, since Mr. Muscietti’s deal has not closed. The forgettable horror film did star Oscar-nominated actress Jessica Chastain in addition to Game of Thrones star Nikolaj Coster-Waldau, but proved somewhat polarizing with critics as it now holds a 65% on Rotten Tomatoes.

Fukunaga had been linked to It since 2012 and originally teamed up with screenwriter Chase Palmer to adapt the 1986 book, which features a group of kids who encounter a terrifying, child-preying creature called It, into two films. That said, Poulter could return depending on scheduling and other factors.

Muschietti is also expected to bring his sister and writing partner, Barbara Muschietti, aboard as a producer on the film. He spun a $15M budget into $146M worth of gold. For a while, Muschietti was set to direct the forthcoming reboot of The Mummy before he departed that project. To this point, New Line hasn’t opted to shelve the project or sell it, and the studio seems to have made great progress in finding a quality replacement.