It 2 has revealed its grown up stars, and you're gonna like this roll call

 **Update: New Zealand-born Jay Ryan has been cast as the adult version of Ben Hanscom** 

 **Update 2: Isaiah Mustafa has been cast as the adult version of Mike Hanlon** 

It (2017) was an excellent horror film that took an incredibly dense and challenging novel and turned it into an entertaining, thrilling - and even sometimes funny - movie-watching experience. And we're only halfway through the story! That's right; as teased during the credits, It Chapter 2 is on the way, and five of the seven major characters have recently been cast.

If you're wondering why the upcoming sequel would need to cast its protagonists again, that's because It 2 takes place more than a decade after the first movie, and all those sassy pre-teens who defeated an interdimensional monster are now full-fledged adults who face down the horrors of bills, student loan debt, and mortgages (though honestly I'm not sure which is scarier). So who's playing the older versions of our plucky heroes?

James McAvoy as Bill Denbrough

Bill is the leader of the Losers Club - the name this group of misfits has given itself - and so it makes sense to give this role to someone who can carry a film as a leading man. For a bit of a preview as to how I imagine McAvoy will play Bill, go watch the 2008 movie Wanted (at least all the parts before his character becomes an assassin with godlike bullet powers).

Andy Bean as Stan Uris

Bean is a relative newcomer to Hollywood, but has already landed roles in spectacle-focused films like Allegiant, and the more somber and dramatic Starz TV series Power. He'll be playing Stan, the most reluctant and fearful of the group.

James Ransone as Eddie Kaspbrak

James Ransone may best be known for his role as Ziggy on The Wire, but he's also got a bit of horror movie experience thanks to playing the deputy in Sinister and Sinister 2. In It Chapter 2, he'll play the grown-up version of Eddie, who suffered from his mother's delusions of illness in the first film.

Jessica Chastain as Beverly Marsh

So here's a fun bit of wish fulfillment: when the kids from It picked who they'd want to play them in It 2, Sophia Lillis picked Jessica Chastain for the role of adult Beverly. And sure enough, that's who was cast. Chastain should excel in the film, having worked with director Andy Muschietti before on Mama.

Bill Hader as Richie Tozier

The smart-ass Richie was an audience favorite in It, thanks largely to a flawless performance from Stranger Things star Finn Wolfhard. Expect that wave of fan love to continue when Bill Hader takes the role in Chapter 2 - he's got the range to pull off serious when he needs to be, and those who grew up watching him on Saturday Night Live will always appreciate his skill at comedy.

Jay Ryan as Ben Hanscom

Jay Ryan is a New Zealand-born actor who, up to this point, has largely spent his time in TV, not film. He made waves with his portrayal of Jack Scully in the mid-00s soap opera Neighbours, and as Vincent Keller in the CW version of Beauty and the Beast.

Isaiah Mustafa as Mike Hanlon

Although he's had many roles over the years - including Luke Garroway in Shadowhunters: The Mortal Instruments - Isaiah Mustafa is perhaps best known as "the man your man could smell like" from Old Spice commercials circa 2010. That deodorant expertise is gonna come in handy when The Losers Club ventures back into the sewers to fight Pennywise.

Get the best games and entertainment news, reviews, tips and offers delivered to your inbox every week by signing up to the GamesRadar+ newsletter today.