Welcome to Derry on HBO: Cast, Pennywise's Return, and Everything to Know About the It TV Series

Pennywise may have been defeated (for now) in the two-part It film series, but the deranged shape-shifting clown is back to terrorize children in the next installment of the popular horror franchise.

HBO will return to Pennywise's small-town playground in Welcome to Derry, a prequel series about the happenings of the Maine town where horrors await those who encounter the clown. The series is believed to chart the origins of the demonic figure, while also pitting him against a new group of teenagers preyed upon by his nightmarish ways. The episodic continuation has been in the works since the enormous success of It (2017) and It: Chapter 2 (2019), which introduced one of Stephen King's scariest creations to a whole new generation.

But what awaits the children of Pennywise's past? Here's everything we know about HBO's Welcome to Derry, streaming on Max.

Welcome to Derry TV series plot

HBO has been scary quiet about what Welcome to Derry will look like, other than to allude to it as a prequel series set before the events of director Andy Muschietti's two-part film series. But fans can probably expect to see the slow crawl of the small-town life interrupted by the increasingly malevolent presence of Pennywise and whatever terrors he has in his bag of tricks.

What we know for certain is that Muschietti and his producing partner (and sister) Barbara Muschietti, along with co-developer Jason Fuchs, plan to plumb the dark reaches of King's mythology surrounding the demon.

"As teenagers, we took turns reading chapters of Stephen King's It until the thick paperback fell to pieces," the siblings said in a statement when the series was announced in 2023. "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."

Welcome to Derry release date prediction

Due to the aforementioned Writers Guild of America and Screen Actors Guild of America strikes, HBO announced a number of its marquee series would be pushed to 2025 and Welcome to Derry was among those titles. It was originally set to be released around Halloween 2024.

More recently, HBO announced that some of its biggest series planned to stream on Max in 2025 and beyond will be branded as an HBO Original (but stream on Max) when they launch.

Welcome to Derry production notes

Production on the series began in 2023 in several locations in Canada, including Toronto and Port Hope. Filming was temporarily shut down during the summer of 2023 due to the Writers Guild of America and Screen Actors Guild of America strikes in Hollywood, but resumed in the fall.

Andy Muschietti, who directed both It films, will direct four of the series' nine episodes, according to Deadline. 

Welcome to Derry TV series cast

Perhaps the most important piece of casting was announced in May 2024 when Bill Skarsgård confirmed his return as Pennywise. Skarsgård's chilling performance was a huge part of what made the film series so popular, so his return (also as an executive producer) is a major endorsement of just how tied to the films the series will be. How big of a role he will play in the series remains to be seen, but the threat of Pennywise seems alive and well in Derry.

The series will also see new franchise additions in Taylour Paige (Zola), Jovan Adepo (The Leftovers), Chris Chalk (Perry Mason), James Remar (Black Lightning), Stephen Rider (Daredevil), Rudy Mancuso (Música), and recurring guest star Madeleine Stowe (Revenge).

Welcome to Derry video

With so much left to unwrap about the series, the only peek we have at what's to come has been in HBO's first-look sizzle reel that dropped in December 2023. The first footage includes some rapid-fire clips of a new crop of teenagers bicycling through the town of Derry, a zombie-like hand grabbing one of those kids from a lake, and Pennywise's signature red balloon rising above series star Jovan Adepo. Over the clips, an ominous voice says, "This isn't America, this is Derry."

How to watch It and It: Chapter Two

Until audiences can officially book a return trip to Derry, Maine, in 2025, It and It: Chapter Two are available to purchase or rent on Apple TV, Prime Video and other streaming platforms. As of August 2024, it is not available to stream on Max, but it is available on Tubi. 

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