It: Welcome to Derry is a prequel series designed to expand the renowned horror saga by tracing events that precede the Losers Club’s confrontation with Pennywise. Following the success of the film adaptations, Warner Bros. has partnered with HBO to further develop Stephen King’s universe on the small screen, aiming to deepen the story’s mystery and atmosphere.
Creative Control and Stephen King’s Involvement
In a recent interview with The Hollywood Reporter, siblings and creators Andy and Barbara Muschietti revealed that Stephen King granted them remarkable creative freedom in developing the prequel. Andy Muschietti explained that King
“didn’t approach the show like that.”
The director emphasized that King
“wasn’t imposing any kind of guidelines on us. I think his desire was to let us play with his toys because from the beginning, we were clear to him.”
The Muschettis communicated to King that his original novel was designed as a deliberately enigmatic puzzle, which they intended to expand upon through unseen storylines. Andy added,
“Your book is a mystery. It’s a puzzle and left unsolved intentionally. And we’re going to create a lot of stuff to bring those enigmas, and also to fill in the gaps in the puzzle. Eventually, this creates a story that’s not in the book. It’s a hidden story.”
Barbara Muschietti, serving as executive producer, further described their approach:
“We wanted to do a show that basically went backwards, where each season was a cycle of Pennywise and he loved that concept and gave us all the rope we needed.”
This narrative framework sets the prequel in 1962, over two decades before the events portrayed in the 2017 film adaptation.
Reception and Series Details
Stephen King has expressed enthusiasm about the new HBO project, publicly sharing praise for It: Welcome to Derry on social media. Jason Fuchs, a writer for the series, conveyed his excitement regarding King’s positive reception during a conversation with ScreenRant.
According to Zach Moser’s review in ScreenRant, the show delivers
“an unrelenting amount of horror and carnage.”
The season consists of eight episodes, with Andy Muschietti directing the pilot as well as other key episodes.
The debut of It: Welcome to Derry is scheduled for Sunday, October 26, at 9 PM on HBO, with episodes releasing weekly on HBO Max. As of now, HBO has not confirmed renewal for a second season, leaving the future of the series uncertain.
Main Cast Highlights
The series stars Bill Skarsgård reprising his role as Pennywise, joined by Taylour Paige portraying Charlotte Hanlon, among others bringing depth to this chilling prequel set in the haunting town of Derry.
