Gary Dauberman didn't think Stephen King would like his version the thriller 'IT'.

Gary and Sara Dauberman

Gary and Sara Dauberman

The screenwriter took over writing the script for the movie adaptation of King's 1986 novel after original writer Cary Fukunaga's departed the film but he admitted he was "more scared" of what the author would think.

Speaking to Slash Film, Dauberman said: "I just was more scared of what Stephen King would think. That was the new fear that presented itself adapting it."

Although Dauberman was scared about the response the author would have to the movie, King recently admitted he was stunned by how frightening Andres Muschietti's version is and how terrifying Bill Skarsgard's portrayal of Pennywise is.

The writer said: "I had hopes, but I was not prepared for how good it really was. It's something that's different and at the same time, it's something that audiences are gonna relate to. They're gonna like the characters. To me, it's all about character. If you like the character, if you care, the scares generally work. I'm sure my fans will enjoy the movie. I think they're gonna really enjoy the movie. And I think some of them will go back two or three times and actually savour the thing."

'IT' follows a group of youngsters who are faced with their biggest fears when they square off against the evil clown known as Pennywise in Derry, Maine, after multiple children go missing.

Although a sequel has already been hinted which will look at the surviving kids who have matured into adulthood and are forced to revisit their horrors as one by one they encounter Pennywise again, Dauberman hasn't written the script yet.

He said: "I've been focused on this one and I think everybody's head are in this one until this one comes out, see what it does.

"Of course when you're writing the script, it's hard not to think about.

"You want to think about ways characters are going to go and all that stuff just to make it feel like there's going to be a story beyond this movie but that's as far as I've taken it."