If clowns were considered nightmare fuel before, a new but somewhat familiar face has just been added to the canister. Entertainment Weekly premiered the first look at Bill SkarsgÃ¥rd’s Pennywise in the upcoming two-part feature film adaptation of Stephen King’s classic novel It. Directed by Mama helmer Andrés Muschietti, part one is expected to hit theaters on September 8, 2017.

SkarsgÃ¥rd also shared some insight into his take on the character telling EW, “It truly enjoys the shape of the clown Pennywise, and enjoys the game and the hunt. What’s funny to this evil entity might not be funny to everyone else. But he thinks it’s funny.” The young actor sang the praises of Tim Curry’s onscreen portrayal that came before him in the TV miniseries from the ’90s saying, “Tim Curry’s performance was truly great, but it’s important for me to do something different because of that. I’ll never be able to make a Tim Curry performance as good as Tim Curry.”

One way that we know SkarsgÃ¥rd’s portrayal will be different is the actor’s age adding an extra layer of discomfort to the idea of a young man hunting young children. When Will Poulter was announced to play the role in Cary Fukunaga’s now-scrapped interpretation, we at Nerdist loved the choice of going young for the role, something that the producers clearly wanted to stick with by casting the 25-year-old actor. “There’s a childishness to the character, because he’s so closely linked to the kids. The clown is the manifestation of children’s imaginations, so there’s something child-like about that.”

For now, all we can do is wait and see what is to come from the theatrical release next year, but judging by the response the photo is getting online, fans are more than intrigued. What are your thoughts on the look of SkarsgÃ¥rd’s Pennywise? Tell us in the comments!

Featured Image Credit: Entertainment Weekly