HBO has come out with the green light for a show that would serve as a prequel to Andy Muschietti’s adaptation of the horror franchise IT. According to The Hollywood Reporter, the streaming service has given a straight-to-series order for this new show based off of Stephen King (Carrie, The Shining)’s novel. The proposed name for this series will be called Welcome to Derry.
The IT franchise has become a worldwide phenomenon and a classic amongst horror enthusiasts from the page to the screen. For decades, the crazed character who takes on the form of a clown known as Pennywise terrorized the town of Derry, Maine for years. Many will see these mystical tales come to life now and witness how Pennywise became a force to be reckoned with.
The original story of IT goes as such: “When children begin to disappear in the town of Derry, Maine, a group of young kids is faced with their biggest fears when they square off against an evil clown named Pennywise, whose history of murder and violence dates back for centuries.” via. Warner Bros.
This horror series will mark the return of Andy Muschietti (Mama, The Electric State) “who directed IT (2017) and IT: Chapter Two (2019)” and Barbara Muschietti (Antigona Despierta, Mama) who produced both movies, as well as Jason Fuchs (The Passage, Wonder Woman). According to Deadline, Jason Fuchs will write the pilot’s teleplay which will be directed by Andy Muschietti. Fuchs and Brad Caleb Kane (Fringe, Black Sails) will be co-showrunners for the series and would also serve as executive producers alongside Shelley Meals (Shadow, Bone), Roy Lee (Don’t Worry Darling, Barbarian), and Dan Lin (The Lego Movie, The Two Popes). The Muschiettis will produce this through their Double Dream production company in their overall deal with Warner Bros. Television.
The series began to take shape in March 2022 and more news about the co-showrunners was reported by Variety in November. The prequel will highlight the lore that was touched on in both IT (2017) and IT: Chapter Two (2019). Both of those movies grossed over $1.1 billion at the global box office upon their release, and with the first one ranked at 86% on the Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer and 7.3/10 on IMDb while, IT: Chapter Two received 78% for the Rotten Tomatoes audience score and a 6.5/10 on IMDb. With that much success coming from both movies, an idea for a spinoff of some nature was bound to happen for many invested in the franchise. The official log line for this prequel series displays what fans would see: “Set in the world of Stephen King’s ‘It’ universe, ‘Welcome to Derry’ 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.”
Before this latest adaptation, there was another famous series centered around Steven King’s novel in the form of a 1990’s ABC miniseries that starred Tim Curry (The Rocky Horror Picture Show, Clue) as the crazed clown. For many who watched that show, Curry’s version became world renowned as one of the definitive trademarks of the franchise as a whole and would go on to influence IT for many years to come. When a new movie was proposed back in 2009, Warner Bros. Television talked with many directors for the project before Andy Muschietti brought the series to the big screen. Part of that magic involved casting Swedish actor Bill Istvan Günther Skarsgård (The Devil All the Time, Barbarian) who literally transformed into this generation’s version of Pennywise, the dancing clown.
It would not be a surprise for many if he will reprise his role for Welcome to Derry, although nothing is definitively confirmed just yet. It is known though that Rolando Davila-Beltran (Stranger Things, How to Train Your Dragon) will star as Tobey Williamson in the new series. As of now, casting is still ongoing as pre-production moves forward.
Many statements have come out regarding this new series including some from Andy Mucschietti.
“As teenagers, we took turns reading chapters of Stephen King’s IT until the thick paperback fell to pieces…IT is an epic story that contains multitudes, far beyond what we could explore in our IT movies. We can’t wait to share the depths of Steve’s novel, in all its heart, humor, humanity and horror.”
According to Variety, Steven King said the following; “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,” He continues on giving nod to a famous trademark of the series, “Red balloons all around!”
Original Content for HBO Max has this to say: “We are thrilled to continue this iconic franchise with the brilliant Andy and Barbara Muschietti, Jason Fuchs, and Brad Caleb Kane…This prequel will expand the IT storytelling canvas and bring fans deeper into the terrifying, mesmerizing town of Derry.”
Fuchs adds to this by saying this about the project; “To be able to return to the world of my all-time favorite horror novel and help build upon the singularly brilliant cinematic universe created by Andy and Barbara is more than the opportunity of a lifetime, it’s a dream come true — or, maybe more appropriately, a nightmare,” via. The Hollywood Reporter.
As provided by Variety, Andy Muschietti and Barbara Muschietti are repped by WME and Johnson Shapiro Slewett & Kole. Jason Fuchs is repped by WME, Brookside Artists Management, Pangea, and Bloom Hergott. Kane is repped by Kaplan Perrone Entertainment and Johnson Shapiro Slewett & Kole.
The show is hypothesized by many to be released in late 2023 with many hoping for it to come in time for the Halloween season. As of now, not much more is known about the plot and overall era this would start at, although many indicate it would take place in the 1960s, at least 27 years before the events of the first movie. The lore in the Steven King novel can go back as far as one can grasp as alluded to by the many callbacks and easter eggs in both movies. In the meantime, you can watch the trailer for the first IT (2017) movie down below.