HBO’s upcoming series IT: Welcome to Derry has an ambitious roadmap, with plans for at least three seasons. Serving as a prequel to Andy Muschietti’s IT films from 2017 and 2019, the show will explore the dark history of Derry through events outlined in Stephen King’s iconic novel. In an interview with Radio TU, Muschietti detailed the series’ structure, revealing that each season will focus on a different catastrophic event tied to Pennywise’s emergence.
His full comments are as follows:
“It’s a story that’s based on the interludes of the book. The interludes are basically chapters that reflect Mike Hanlon’s research. They’re fragments of his research. For 27 years, it’s the guy trying to figure out what it is, what did it, who did it, who saw it, and all that stuff.
So they talk about catastrophic events from the past, like the fire in the Black Spot…. the massacre of the Bradley Gang, a gang of bank robbers in the ’30s… and the explosion of the Kitchener Ironworks. Every time [Pennywise] comes out of hibernation, there is a catastrophic event that happens at the beginning of that cycle.
There’s a reason why the story is told backwards. So the first season is 1962, the second season is 1935, and the third season is 1908.”
The series will introduce new characters, played by a diverse cast that includes Jovan Adepo (Babylon), James Remar (Dexter), Taylour Paige (Beverly Hills Cop: Axel F), Chris Chalk (Gotham), and Stephen Rider (Daredevil). Bill Skarsgård is set to reprise his chilling role as Pennywise, ensuring the same level of terror from the IT films.
Muschietti, who co-created IT: Welcome to Derry with Barbara Muschietti and Jason Fuchs, also shared that Stephen King has been actively involved in the project. “Stephen King has to approve everything. But it was really informal this time. I’ve had a close relationship with Stephen King since I made the movies. He writes to me, and I write him back. It’s an honour for me, and I consider him a friend.” Muschietti said.
“One day, I wrote to him and said, ‘We have this idea, which is to develop the interludes in a miniseries that will take place before the events of the movie,’ and he loved it. He said, ‘Let’s do it!’ Obviously, as we progressed, we kept showing him the work, and he approved the first draft of the script. Then we showed him where we would take the future seasons of the show. He trusts us because of what we did with the movies, which he loved as much as audiences did.”
Muschietti’s IT movies, which grossed over US$1.1 billion collectively, remain among the most successful Stephen King adaptations. The prequel aims to expand on this legacy by exploring the sinister events that shaped Derry’s haunted history.
With nine episodes slated for its debut season on Max in 2025, IT: Welcome to Derry is poised to become a chilling addition to HBO’s lineup. Should the show resonate with audiences, Muschietti’s vision could come true for its planned three-season arc.
Natalie is a big fan of anything related to movies, TV shows, and anime — you name it. When she’s not reading or being a dedicated cinephile, she’s probably playing gacha and tabletop games, or daydreaming of Sylus from Love and Deepspace.
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