IT is one of Stephen King's most beloved books of all time, and has spawned a pair of hit movies, but the author doesn't plan to write a sequel. That's not really too surprising, as King rarely writes follow-ups to his novels or short stories. While Hollywood is happy to craft endless loosely related sequels to things like Children of the Corn or The Mangler, King is usually one to unleash his work upon the world and then let it stand on its own two feet.
King has written a small smattering of sequel stories, including Doctor Sleep, his sequel to Derry, and the creature's ancient origins is ripe for expansion.
While it wouldn't make sense for the Losers' Club to return as the main characters, as that would effectively invalidate their victory, there's definitely room to play within IT's universe. At least that's what fans think. Stephen King isn't so eager to revisit Pennywise.
Why Stephen King Won't Write an IT Sequel
When asked directly by a fan about the possibility of an IT sequel during a 2013 Reddit AMA session, Stephen King offered the following succinct response: "I don't think I could bear to deal with Pennywise again. Too scary, even for me." While that may sound like an odd answer from the man who created Pennywise, there's actually no one else more logically primed to be bothered by such a terrifying character than its creator, as King had to live with IT inside his head the entire time he was writing the book. Actor Bill Skarsgard said just playing Pennywise made him have horrible nightmares, so it's not unimaginable the same was true for King himself.
This isn't the first time King has itted to being scared by his own creation either, as he famously found Pet Sematary so disturbing that he shelved the book for several years before it was finally released to fulfill a contract with his then publisher. While Pennywise has made little cameos or been referenced in several other King books, perhaps those little returns to the mind of the child-eating monster are quite enough for the master of horror. While one should never say never, IT ever getting a sequel book seems highly unlikely.
