According to Entertainment Weekly, Bill Skarsgård (Barbarian, John Wick: Chapter 4) will return to play Pennywise, the evil clown character he portrayed in the horror films It and It Chapter Two. He will appear as Pennywise in a new prequel series titled Welcome to Derry, which will be available on the streaming service Max. Besides acting, Skarsgård will have a behind-the-scenes role as an executive producer, contributing to the creative and production aspects of the series.
As reported by MXDWN.COM, Welcome to Derry was officially announced by Max in February 2023. The title might still change as it’s a working title. Similar to the It movies, the prequel series is based on Stephen King’s (The Shining, Pet Sematary) 1986 novel It. The book centers around a group of children haunted by an evil entity, which primarily appears as a creepy clown named Pennywise.
The TV series Welcome to Derry is being developed by a team deeply familiar with the It film franchise, including director Andy Muschietti (Mama, The Flash), producer Barbara Muschietti (Mama, The Flash) and producer Jason Fuchs (Argylle, I Still See You). Andy Muschietti, who directed both It and It Chapter Two films, is the executive producer, director and writer for Welcome to Derry.
According to Deadline, Andy Muschietti will direct four of the show’s nine episodes. Barbara Muschietti, who also produced both It films, is an additional executive producer for the TV series. Fuchs, who served as a producer and acted in It Chapter Two, serves as co-showrunner and executive producer in developing the TV series. Additional executive producers for Welcome to Derry include Roy Lee (Barbarian, The Ring) and Dan Lin (The Lego Movie, The Lego Batman Movie), both of whom also served as producers in the It film franchise. Their combined experiences with the It films helps ensure that the series aligns well with the established universe and quality of the previous movies.