Stephen King’s It is one of the bestselling horror novels ever written, so it’s unsurprising that its two-part film adaptation — comprised of 2017’s It and 2019’s It: Chapter Two — became one of the highest grossing horror movie franchises of all time. Together, the two movies have grossed over $1 billion at the worldwide box office. Apparently, moviegoers are really afraid of clowns.

Andy Muschietti and his cast and crew knocked the first movie out of the park, and although the second one fell short, there’s still more good than bad in this duology. So, here are 10 fascinating facts from the making of the It movies.

The Child Actors Didn’t See Bill Skarsgård In Costume Until Filming Began

At the behest of the producers, the child actors in It avoided seeing Bill Skarsgård in costume as Pennywise until it was absolutely necessary when they were shooting scenes with him. This was to retain the real terror they felt when they saw him in his clown makeup.

They also avoided hanging out with Skarsgård outside of filming so they wouldn’t get used to being around him, and their fear would remain palpable on-camera. It was a sort of method acting technique. The first time all the actors saw Skarsgård as Pennywise was when they shot the slide projector scene.

The Makeup Team Halved Bill Skarsgård’s Time In The Makeup Chair For The Sequel

During production on the first It movie, Bill Skarsgård had to spend five hours in the makeup chair every morning to be made up as Pennywise.

When it came to making the sequel, the makeup team managed to get that time down to two-and-a-half hours, which was undoubtedly a relief to Skarsgård, who could spend that extra time in bed.

True Detective’s Cary Fukunaga Was Initially Set To Direct

A new adaptation of Stephen King’s It had been in development since 2009. Originally, it was set to be directed by Cary Fukunaga, who helmed Netflix’s Beasts of No Nation and eight episodes of HBO’s True Detective. But following a few years of troubled development and creative differences with the producers, Fukunaga was replaced by Andy Muschietti.

Andy Muschietti Started Working On The Sequel Before It Was Greenlit

Due to the fact that the 2017 It film only adapted the first half of the novel and the novel is split into two distinct narratives, this adaptation was always planned as a two-part movie. But since the producers couldn’t bank on the first one’s box office success, the sequel wasn’t officially greenlit until a few weeks after the original was released.

When It became an instant hit at the box office (eventually becoming the highest grossing horror movie of all time), director Andy Muschietti started working on a sequel before getting the official greenlight from the studio.

Chloë Grace Moretz Was The First Choice To Play Beverly

When It first went into development in 2009, Chloë Grace Moretz was the first choice for the role of Beverly Marsh. However, the movie spent so long in development hell that Moretz grew out of the role.

By the time production began, she was too old to play the character. So, the role ended up going to Sophia Lillis.

It: Chapter Two Features The First Ever Digital De-Aging In A Horror Movie

In the past few years, digital de-aging techniques have been pioneered by big studios like Marvel and Lucasfilm. Plus, Martin Scorsese’s latest movie, The Irishman, featured de-aged actors in most of its scenes.

There’s a lot of digital de-aging in It: Chapter Two’s flashback scenes, as it was used to make the members of the Losers Club look like they did in the first movie (because child actors age rapidly). This marks the first time ever that digital de-aging has been used in a horror movie.

When Cary Fukunaga was set to direct It, he cast Will Poulter from We’re the Millers and The Chronicles of Narnia franchise to play Pennywise the Dancing Clown.

After Andy Muschietti signed on to direct, Poulter dropped out as he’d initially been attached to Fukunaga’s vision, and didn’t connect with Muschietti’s. Poulter would end up scratching the horror movie itch when he appeared in Ari Aster’s terrifying folk chiller Midsommar last year.

Finn Wolfhard And Sophia Lillis Got Their Casting Choices For Their Adult Selves

Before the adult versions of the Losers Club were cast in It: Chapter Two, the child actors were asked who they wanted to play their older selves. Finn Wolfhard (Richie Tozier) and Sophia Lillis (Beverly Marsh) were the only actors who got their top casting choices, which were Bill Hader and Jessica Chastain, respectively.

Jaeden Martell (Bill Denbrough) wanted Christian Bale, who turned down the offer. Chosen Jacobs (Mike Hanlon) wanted Chadwick Boseman, but his MCU commitments meant that he was unavailable. Wyatt Oleff (Stanley Uris) wanted to cast Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Jeremy Ray Taylor (Ben Hanscom) wanted Chris Pratt, and Jack Dylan Grazer (Eddie Kaspbrak) wanted Jake Gyllenhaal, but none of these actors were cast.

The Child Actors Who Played Bill And Eddie Originally Auditioned For Each Other’s Roles

Wyatt Oleff, who ended up being cast as Stanley Uris, and Jack Dylan Grazer, who ended up playing Eddie Kaspbrak, initially auditioned to play Bill Denbrough.

And Jaeden Martell originally auditioned for the role of Eddie, but ended up being cast in the lucrative lead role of Bill.

Andy Muschietti Has Ideas For A Third It Film

As hard as it may be to believe, It: Chapter Two was once even longer. Director Andy Muschietti had more than four hours of polished footage for the movie, which he had to cut down to a cool two hours and 49 minutes.

Muschietti has said that he intends to edit the unused footage — as well as some deleted scenes from the first one, including a flashback in which It eats a baby — into another installment in the It franchise at some point. He’s finished adapting the novel, but the studio isn’t finished making money.