The True Detective director quit the film in May (15) after reportedly clashing with studio bosses, and now executives have lined up a replacement in Muschietti, who made an impressive feature debut in 2013 with horror film Mama, which starred Jessica Chastain and Nikolaj Coster-Waldau.

Fukunaga had been linked to It since 2012 and originally teamed up with screenwriter Chase Palmer to adapt the 1986 book, which features a group of kids who encounter a terrifying, child-preying creature called It, into two films.

The first instalment was set to feature the protagonists as children, with the second focusing on the same group as adults.

According to The Hollywood Reporter, production was slated to begin in June (15), but has been postponed in order to make revisions for Muschietti's new vision for the film.

The publication also reports that Meet the Millers star Will Poulter's casting as creepy clown Pennywise is also in jeopardy, as he is no longer officially attached to the film.