Andy Muschietti Talks Bad Endings, Ritchie's Story & More In Our Spoiler-Filled Discussion [The Fourth Wall]

Welcome to the latest episode of The Fourth Wall – an interview podcast where I attempt to break down the fourth wall of the film industry, getting a behind the scenes look through my conversations with filmmakers, actors/actresses, and other industry professionals. As “It: Chapter Two” continues to dominate the box office, I’m joined today by the film’s director, Andy Muschietti, as we dive into a full spoiler conversation regarding the film.

READ MORE: ‘It: Chapter Two’: The Losers’ Club Grows Up In Andy Muschietti’s Frightening, Emotional Horror Sequel [Review]

Andy first garnered the attention of many with his 2013 debut “Mama.” The film was based on his three-minute short of the same name which also piqued the interest of Guillermo del Toro, who went on to executive produce the feature. Muschietti’s work and success on “Mama” proved him to be a real emerging talent in the horror genre and it’s easy to see why he was brought on for the adaptation of Stephen King‘s “It.” Embarking on a massive undertaking, Muschietti brought to life King’s novel for a new generation amassing both critical and commercial success as 2017’s “It” became the highest-grossing horror film of all time. It’s only fitting that “It: Chapter Two” is hot on its heels as the film already has the second-highest horror movie opening of all time.

READ MORE: Bill Hader Talks ‘It: Chapter Two’s’ Big Surprise, ‘Barry’ Season 3 & More [The Fourth Wall]

While the adult portion of “It” has always been notoriously divisive, Muschietti understood that in order for it to work, he needed to cut out some of King’s more outlandish material and maintain focus on the Losers and their journey. For this, the director looked to classics that had an impact on him at an early age such as “The Neverending Story” and “E.T.” for inspiration.

“The key was sticking to the emotional, intimate part of the whole thing which was finding a resolution for these characters as individuals and as a group,” said Muschietti. “So I decided to keep it very intimate so that it’s all about feelings and emotions. If you follow the book more literally, there’s a big gigantic disaster with the destruction of Derry, the sinkhole, the flood. I did not want to go there because it takes away from what’s important and that’s the emotional impact of the ending.”

He continued, “Every movie that I love has one of those, especially the ones that really imprinted me in the ’80s. When you see ‘The Neverending Story,’ for instance, there is some level of mayhem there, but it’s very related to the emotional journey of the characters. ‘E.T.’ of course; ‘E.T.’ is probably the best example of that where there’s not a dry eye in the room. So that [thought process] was very important.”

READ MORE: Composer David Arnold Talks ‘Good Omens’ Emmy Nomination, James Bond, & BBC’s ‘Dracula’ [The Fourth Wall]

During our conversation, we not only discuss how Muschietti managed to create such a satisfying conclusion but we also get into how he crafted some incredibly seamless and inventive scene transitions, the challenges of making a two-hour-and-forty-five-minute horror epic, reinventing the character of Ritchie, and, in relation to the film’s meta-commentary about creators who can’t properly end their stories, his favorite movie that couldn’t quite nail the ending (his answer may surprise you).

As always, The Fourth Wall is part of The Playlist Podcast Network—which includes The DiscourseBe Reel, and more –and can be heard on iTunesAnchorFM, SoundcloudStitcher, and now on Spotify. To listen on this page, you can stream the podcast via the AnchorFM embed below or up top. Follow us on iTunes, and you’ll get this podcast as well as our other shows regularly. Be sure to subscribe, and drop us a comment or a rating as we do appreciate it. Thanks for listening.