<P> It (also known as It: Chapter One) is a 2017 American supernatural horror film directed by Andy Muschietti, based on the 1986 novel of the same name by Stephen King . The screenplay is by Chase Palmer, Cary Fukunaga and Gary Dauberman . </P> <P> The film is set in the summer of 1989 and tells the story of seven children in Derry, Maine, who are terrorized by the eponymous being, only to face their own personal demons in the process . The novel was previously adapted into a 1990 miniseries . </P> <P> The film stars Jaeden Lieberher and Bill Skarsgård as Bill Denbrough and Pennywise the Dancing Clown, respectively, with Jeremy Ray Taylor, Sophia Lillis, Finn Wolfhard, Chosen Jacobs, Jack Dylan Grazer, Wyatt Oleff, Nicholas Hamilton, and Jackson Robert Scott in supporting roles . Principal photography began in the Riverdale neighborhood of Toronto on June 27, 2016, and ended on September 21, 2016 . Other Ontario locations included Port Hope and Oshawa . </P> <P> It premiered in Los Angeles on September 5, 2017, and was theatrically released in the United States by New Line Cinema and Warner Bros. Pictures on September 8, 2017 . Upon release, the film set numerous box office records and grossed $700 million worldwide . Unadjusted for inflation, it is the highest - grossing horror film and the fourth - highest - grossing R - rated film (after the Deadpool films and The Matrix Reloaded), as well as the most profitable horror film . It received positive reviews, with critics praising the performances, direction, cinematography and musical score, with many calling it one of the best Stephen King adaptations . </P>

Who plays the clown in it 2017 cast