James McAvoy as Bill Denbrough In April, The Hollywood Reporter confirmed that McAvoy is in negotiations to take on the role of our lead hero, Bill Denbrough. As an adult, Bill is a novelist who pens horror books for a living. McAvoy definitely has some horror chops: he did an incredible job in 2017's Split, which was directed by M. Night Shyamalan. We're into it. Image Source: Getty / Santiago Felipe