James McAvoy and Bill Hader in talks to join the Losers' Club in 'It: Chapter 2'

If you had asked me at the start of 2017, there's no way I would have picked a fresh new adaptation of Stephen King's IT as one of the biggest films of the year. But Warner Bros. and New Line clearly knew what they had on their hands, as they cut a killer trailer and delivered a global juggernaut. Considering the epic length of King's novel (over 1,000 pages), director Andy Muschietti and the rest of the creative team opted to adapt only half of the book, focusing on the growth of The Losers' Club and Pennywise's reign of terror in the 1980s. But there was always the possibility of another story in the present day, a story that Muschietti would get the chance to adapt if everything went according to plan. As a huge critical and box office hit, it looks like the "Chapter 1" stinger in the credits will pay off. Jessica Chastain has already been cast as the adult Beverly Marsh (confirmed in today's reports), and it looks like some famous faces will be joining her for this highly-anticipated sequel.

Earlier today, it was widely reported (neither Variety nor Hollywood Reporter had the exclusive, but both revealed details) that James McAvoy and Bill Hader are both in talks to join the cast of It: Chapter 2. Should the deals be finalized, McAvoy will play Losers' Club leader Bill Denbrough, while Hader will take on the role of foul-mouthed Richie Tozier. While it's still early enough for things to go wrong, casting these two actors would obviously be a huge boost for a movie that's already guaranteed to be a hit. In a rather amusing twist, Stranger Things star Finn Wolfhard, who played Tozier in last year's film, actually listed Hader as his choice to play the adult version of Richie, similar to how Sophia Lillis voiced her enthusiasm for Jessica Chastain as Beverly. I know it's pretty unlikely, but is there any chance that the kids are actually having some input in the casting decisions?

Should McAvoy and Hader be cast, it would cap off busy years for the both of them. Hader is coming off the success of hit HBO show Barry, which was just renewed for a second season (per Hollywood Reporter). Meanwhile, after this month's release of Wim Wenders' Submergence, McAvoy will be gearing up for a heavy promotional tour in 2019. He has M. Night Shyamalan's Glass and Simon Kinberg's X-Men: Dark Phoenix on tap, which should make for quite the year. Regardless of their upcoming schedules, I would be thrilled if this report came to fruition. The pilot of Barry really impressed me, revealing Hader's talent in unexpected ways, and I'm obviously a huge fan of McAvoy. This would only increase my excitement for a project that's already a must-see.

It: Chapter 2 will be released on September 6, 2019.