If you were expecting the newest iteration of Pennywise, from the upcoming Andy Muschietti helmed remake of Stephen King’s, It to look like the Tim Curry version, you are in for a surprise. Entertainment weekly unveiled the new design today and it definitely looks a lot fancier and a lot more old timey. Oddly enough, this actually makes it a little less scary for me.
The new costume’s designer, Emmy-winning Janie Bryant gave the magazine some insight into her new take on the world’s most evil clown:
– The costumes takes inspiration from Medieval, Renaissance, Elizabethan, and Victorian eras.
“ The costume definitely incorporates all these otherworldly past lives, if you will. He is definitely a clown from a different time.”
– Every part of the costume aims to suggest something ancient and evoke something disturbing.
– “That pleating is actually Fortuny pleating, which gives it almost a crepe-like effect. It’s a different technique than what the Elizabethans would do. It’s more organic, it’s more sheer. It has a whimsical, floppy quality to it. It’s not a direct translation of a ruff or a whisk, which were two of the collars popular during the Elizabethan period.”
– “There is almost a doll-like quality to the costume. The pants being short, the high waistline of the jacket, and the fit of the costume is a very important element. It gives the character a child-like quality.”
The tight fit of the gloves are intended to make his hands appear porcelain.
– “If you look at the sleeves, there are the two puffs off the shoulder and biceps and again on the bloomers, I wanted it to have an organic, gourd or pumpkin kind of effect … It helps exaggerate certain parts of the body. The costume is very nipped in the waist and with the peplum and bloomers it has an expansive silhouette.”
– The design is aimed at creating a subliminal suggestion of an insectoid creature, something fans of the original movie might already be conjuring up.
– On the color scheme: “The pompoms are orange, and then with the trim around the cuffs and the ankles, it’s basically a ball fringe that’s a combination of orange, red, and cinnamon. It’s almost like Pennywise fades into his environment. But there are accents to pull out the definition of the gray silk … It makes him almost like a shadow.”
– The image itself also hints at Pennywise’s ability to fade into and out of his surroundings, since you might notice that he appears to be … floating.