Cary Fukunaga's upcoming adaptation of Stephen King's horror classic "It" has found its villain: Will Poulter has been tapped to play Pennywise.

1990 television miniseries. According to the trade, 22-year-old Poulter seems like an odd choice on the surface, but the actor -- known mainly for his comedic supporting role in 2013's "We're the Millers" -- reportedly nailed his audition, and "Fukunaga could not say no."

While an older actor was initially considered for the part (Variety writes that Mark Rylance and Ben Mendelsohn were also in the running), distributor New Line decided to bet on Poulter instead. That's in line with Fukunaga's vision for the flick, which Variety reports "will stay true to the King story while also giving the film a new look."

Poulter is now the face of Fukunaga's film, which will be split into two parts to service King's 900-page novel. Part one will focus on the protagonists as children, battling and banishing Pennywise, while the second installment revisits the same group as adults, as Pennywise (still played by Poulter) returns to terrorize them again.

Looks like Poulter has big things ahead of him. He'll next be seen alongside Leonardo DiCaprio in Alejandro Gonzalez Innaritu's "The Revenant," in which he also plays an antagonist role.

[via: Variety]

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