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.
HBO’s 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 films.
While none of the kids from the original 2017 IT film were expected to return, Bill Skarsgard – who played Pennywise the Clown – will reprise his role, via Deadline.
He reunites with Andy Muschietti, 2017’s IT Chapter Two and 2019’s IT Chapter Two, who will direct four of the series’ nine episodes.
In November, HBO’s Casey Bloys stated that Welcome To Derry will be released sometime in 2025, although it is unclear when production will begin.
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 film were expected to return, Bill Skarsgard – who played Pennywise the Clown – will reprise his role via Deadline.
The series hails from Muschietti, his sister and producing partner Barbara Muschietti and Jason Fucks, all of whom serve as executive producers.
They all created the story together, with Fuchs (Wonder Woman, Argylle) writing the pilot script and Andy directing the pilot episode.
The return of 33-year-old Skarsgard isn’t terribly surprising, given early reports that the series will explore the origins of Pennywise the Clown.
The original films 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 girls who are part of ‘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 huge hit, debuting with $117.2 million on its way to $328.8 million domestically and $704.2 million worldwide on a budget of just $40 million.
The second film returns to Derry, Maine in 2016, where we reunite as adults with the Losers Club members.
The first film, set in 1988, followed the young men and girls who are part of ‘The Losers Club’ and their first encounters with Pennywise.
The return of 33-year-old Skarsgard isn’t terribly surprising, given early reports that the series will explore the origins of Pennywise the Clown.
The second film returns to Derry, Maine in 2016, where we reunite as adults with the Losers Club members
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 do as well at the box office, but still performed quite well considering its budget is much smaller than most big budget fare.
It Chapter Two earned $211.6 million domestically and $473.1 million worldwide, on a budget of $79 million.
Skarsgard will next hit theaters on August 23 and resurrect a new franchise, starring in the reboot of The Crow.