More than two years after it was officially announced, Max’s IT prequel series Welcome to Derry is finally moving forward, with a familiar face.
The HBO streaming service first announced Welcome to Derry in March 2022, set in the sleepy town of Derry, Maine in the 1960s, before the events of the IT movies.
While none of the kids from the original 2017 IT movie were expected to return, Bill Skarsgard – who played Pennywise the Clown – will reprise his role, via Deadline.
He will reunite with 2017’s IT and 2019’s IT Chapter Two Andy Muschietti, who will direct four of the nine episodes in the series.
Back in November, HBO’s Casey Bloys stated that Welcome To Derry will be released at some time in 2025, though it’s unclear when production starts.
More than two years after it was officially announced, Max’s IT prequel series Welcome to Derry is finally moving forward, with a familiar face
While none of the kids from the original 2017 IT movie were expected to return, Bill Skarsgard – who played Pennywise the Clown – will reprise his role, via Deadline
The series will hail from Muschietti, his sister and producing partner Barbara Muschietti and Jason Fucks, who all serve as executive producers.
They all crafted the story together, with Fuchs (Wonder Woman, Argylle) writing the pilot script and Andy to direct the pilot episode.
The return of Skarsgard, 33, is not terribly surprising, given early reports stated the series will explore the origins of Pennywise the Clown.
The original movies split Stephen King’s massive 1,138-page novel, first published in 1986, in half.
The first film – set in 1988 – followed the young men and girl who make up “The Losers Club,” and their first encounters with Pennywise.
The film starred Finn Wolfhard (Richie Tozier), Jaeden Martell (Bill Denbrough), Sophia Lillis (Beverly Marsh), Jeremy Ray Taylor (Ben Hanscom), Chosen Jacobs (Mike Hanlon), Jack Dylan Glazer (Eddie Kaspbrak) and Wyatt Oleff (Stanley Uris).
The first IT was a massive hit, debuting with $117.2 million en route to $328.8 million domestic and $704.2 million worldwide from just a $40 million budget.
The second film returns to Derry, Maine in 2016, where we reunite with the Losers Club members as adults.
The first film – set in 1988 – followed the young men and girl who make up “The Losers Club,” and their first encounters with Pennywise
The return of Skarsgard, 33, is not terribly surprising, given early reports stated the series will explore the origins of Pennywise the Clown
The second film returns to Derry, Maine in 2016, where we reunite with the Losers Club members as adults
The film starred James McAvoy (Bill Denbrough), Bill Hader (Richie Tozier), Jessica Chastain (Beverly Marsh), Isaiah Mustafa (Mike Hanlon), Jay Ryan (Ben Hanscom), James Ransone (Eddie Kaspbrak) and Andy Bean (Stanley Uris).
The sequel didn’t fare quite as well at the box office, but still performed quite well given the budget is much smaller than most big-budget fare.
It Chapter Two earned $211.6 million domestic and $473.1 million worldwide, from a $79 million budget.
Skarsgard will next be seen bringing another franchise back to life, starring in The Crow reboot, in theaters August 23.
