Pennywise the Clown gets the prequel treatment in HBO series It: Welcome To Derry.
Based on Stephen King’s novel It, and serving as a prequel to the 2017 film adaptation directed by Andy Muschietti, the series rewinds the clock to 1962 as a new group of Derry residents are haunted by a mysterious force.
Andy Muschietti returns as a co-creator on the series, alongside sister Barbara Muscheitti and Jason Fuchs. Bill Skarsgård reprises his role as Pennywise, who is joined by new cast members Taylour Paige, Jovan Adepo, James Remar, Stephen Rider, Clara Stack, and Matilda Lawler.
All eight episodes of It: Welcome To Derry are available to stream on NOW in the UK.
Is It: Welcome To Derry season 2 happening?
HBO has not officially announced a second season of It: Welcome To Derry, but the show’s creators have said there’s a three-season plan.
As alluded to in the season one finale, the plan is to jump back in time to 1935 and 1908 for season two and three respectively. At the time of writing however, it’s unclear if HBO will fulfill this vision.
What have the creators said about season 2?
Show creators Andy and Barbara Muschietti discussed what they have planned for season two in an interview with Variety, reaffirming it will be set in 1935.
“We can only say the stuff that’s already known, like it’s in 1935, 27 years before season one and it involves the massacre of the Bradley Gang from the books,” Andy said. “It takes place during the Depression in Derry, and there are some new characters and some characters from this season as well, but younger versions of them.”
Speaking about the concept for the show, he added: “Our first pitch to Stephen King was to tell the story backwards. I can’t say too much about the logic behind it, because I don’t want to spoil it, but it has to do with how Pennywise experiences time in a non-linear way. We sort of hinted at it at the end of the season.”