Stephen King’sIThas terrorized audiences for decades since its debut. Now, Pennywise is set to continue his reign of terror. HBO Max has officially picked upWelcome to Derry, a prequel series exploring Derry’s history with the interdimensional clown.
IThas been adapted to the screen as a mini-series on ABC in 1990 and a film series released between 2017 and 2019. Directed by Andy Muschietti, the film seriessplit theITstory into two partsand updated the setting to take place in a more recent year. The film starred Bill Skarsgard as Pennywise, with the Loser’s Club being portrayed by different actors as they aged over the 27 years the story takes place.
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WarnerMedia announced thattheITprequel serieswas picked up for launch on itsHBO Maxstreaming platform. The announcement clarifies thatWelcome to Derryis a working title. The show is being developed by filmmakers Andy and Barbara Muschietti alongside Jason Fuchs. “Set in the world of Stephen King’s “IT” universe, WELCOME TO DERRY (wt) is based on King’s “IT” novel and expands the vision established by filmmaker Andy Muschietti in the feature films “IT” and “IT Chapter Two,” reads the official logline.
King, who’s known for his horror fare, seemed excited to return to the world of Derry. “I’m excited that the story of Derry, Maine’s most haunted city, is continuing, and I’m glad Andy Muschietti is going to be overseeing the frightening festivities, along with a brain trust including his talented sister, Barbara,” King said in a statement. “Red balloons all around!”
At this time, it is unclear whether Skarsgard will be returning to the role of Pennywise. The character’s origins will likely be explored in more depth here. Interestingly, he has a connection withKing’sThe Dark Towerseries. Pennywise may take the form of a clown to frighten children, but his actual being is that of the headlights, a cosmic horror that exists outside the universe. Ancient and powerful, Pennywise is the natural enemy of a giant, interstellar turtle known as Maturin, a being who created the known universe.
Thisnew adaptation of King’s workhas a lot of material to build off of. The film series explains that Pennywise terrorized Derry before Europeans settled in the area and that the being comes out of hibernation every 27-30 years. Several scenes were reportedly cut from the film that showed Pennywise terrorizing people throughout the history of Derry, including a disturbing scene involving a colonial woman giving Pennywise her baby for sustenance. Fans can probably expect more disturbing content when the HBO Max show drops.
Welcome to Derryis slated to be released on HBO Max.
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