Fans of Stranger Things might look at the new It adaptation and think director Andy Muschietti straight ripped off their favorite Netflix series. Not the case. Setting aside that Stephen King’s It came out in 1986, Muschietti refused to watch Stranger Things until long after shooting wrapped on It.
Speaking to Digital Spy, Muschietti said:
I had no idea what Stranger Things was, in fact. Stranger Things came out in the middle of production. We were probably halfway through the shoot, or something, before Stranger Things came out. In fact, I picked Finn in the cast without knowing that he was in that show. But once it came out, people immediately… you know, it was a hit. So everyone started talking about it. And I didn’t want to see it. I didn’t want to watch it. It wasn’t until post-production… after the shoot, it took me like two months to actually watch an episode. It’s great. It’s very cool. It’s very good. But no, I didn’t take any influence from it at all.
Actor Finn Wolfhard (yes, that is his actual name) stars in both 80s nostalgia fests. There must be something about his face that brings filmmakers back to the 1980s. Maybe his eyebrows are a little Reagan-y.
Yeah, if you squint you can see it. / Images Via Wikipedia
Feature Images Via Warner Bros and Netflix