Cary Fukunaga Talks About Leaving the ‘It’ Remake

Back in May we learned that “True Detective” director Cary Fukunaga had unceremoniously left the “It” remake project. It was a surprising move as Fukunaga had seemed passionate about the project and had invested a great deal of time into trying to bring it to life.  Early reports suggested that the departure was the result of a series of conflicts between Fukunaga and the studio, but nothing was ever really confirmed.  Now a few months removed from the departure, Fukunaga is slowly opening up about why he left.

Speaking with EW for his upcoming film “Beasts of No Nation” Fukunaga was asked about his split with New Line over the “It” remake. Here’s what he had to say:

“It’s never easy,” he says. “Chase [Palmer] and I had been working on that script for probably three years. There was a lot of our childhood and our experience in it.”

“Ultimately, we and New Line have to agree on the kind of movie we want to make, and we just wanted to make different movies,” Fukunaga says. “It’s like a relationship: you can try to make the other person who you want them to be, but it’s impossible really to change. You just have to work.”

It seems like the early reports of their being creative differences between the director and New Line were close to accurate after all.  It’s a shame that he’s no longer involved with the project. Regardless of how you feel about the remake, there’s no doubt that Fukunaga was passionate about the film and I was eager to see what that passion would generate.  As for the “It” remake it still marches forward, but now with “Mama” director Andy Muschietti at the helm.