Pennywise the Dancing Clown will return to the small screen with an all-new series at HBO Max. CalledWelcome to Derry, the series serves as a prequel to Andy Muschietti’sItandIt: Chapter Two. Those films are based on the original novel byStephen King, which was previously adapted as a miniseries on ABC. There had been reports ofWelcome to Derrygetting put into development, andDeadlinenow reports that the show has officially gotten its series order at HBO Max.
Speaking about this new adaptation, which will expand upon the lore in a way not seen in the original book, King stated, “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. Red balloons all around!”
Andy Muschietti will direct the pilot and additional episodes to further connect the series to the feature films. He also crafted the story with Barbara Muschietti and Jason Fuchs. Brad Caleb Kane and Fuchs are serving as co-showrunners with Fuchs penning the teleplay for the pilot. The Muschiettis are executive producing alongside Fuchs, Kane, Shelley Meals, Roy Lee, and Dan Lin.
“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,” Fuchs also said of joining the project.
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Welcome to Derry Goes Back to the Source Material for Inspiration
While the ABC miniseries and Muschietti’s movies had the original Stephen King story to draw upon for inspiration,Welcome to Derrywill have much more room to explore that world as an episodic series. The Muschiettis have spoken about how much they had read the original novel when they were younger, and lamented how much of that story had to be left out when making two films. They can now explore some of those things they didn’t get to before while also further expanding upon the lore ofIT.
“As teenagers, we took turns reading chapters of Stephen King’sITuntil the thick paperback fell to pieces,” a statement by the Muschiettis reads. “ITis an epic story that contains multitudes, far beyond what we could explore in ourITmovies. We can’t wait to share the depths of Steve’s novel, in all its heart, humor, humanity, and horror.”
Welcome to Derrydoesn’t yet have a premiere date. No cast members have yet been announced, and while it seems likely Bill Skarsgård would reprise his role as Pennywise, his involvement isn’t confirmed at this time.
