Jay Ryan Joins ‘It: Chapter Two’ as Ben Hanscom

New Zealand’s Jay Ryan is the latest performer to float into the cast of It: Chapter Two. Per Deadline, the Mary Kills People actor is set to play Ben Hanscom in the highly anticipated horror sequel.

Jay Ryan, who has notably starred in the popular Australian soap opera Neighbours, as well as the CW’s Beauty & the Beast, joins a stacked cast of actors for Andy Muschietti’s followup, with news breaking recently that James Ransone and Andy Bean would be starring alongside Jessica Chastain, James McAvoy, Bill Hader, and Pennywise himself, Bill Skarsgård. 

The main cast of It: Chapter Two is nearly complete, with only the role of Mike Hanlon yet to be cast. The sequel will take place 27 years after the events of last year’s horror hit, as the now-grown members of The Losers Club return to Derry, Maine, to put a stop to Pennywise once and for all.

Though a degree of success was expected upon the announcement of a big-screen adaptation of Stephen King’s It, hardly anyone expected the film to become a pop culture sensation, be one of 2017’s most financially successful movies, or become the highest grossing horror film of all time. It: Chapter Two has some mighty big shoes to fill, but, if the cast is any indication, our expectations should remain sky high.

The film is set to be released in September 2019, two years after the release of Muschietti’s original. We’ll see you there.