It: Welcome to Derry will hold off on showing Pennywise
The upcoming TV series It: Welcome to Derry, which will serve as a prequel to Warner Bros’ two-part adaptation of the classic Stephen King novel It (pick up a copy HERE), was originally meant to be for the HBO Max streaming service, but it has since been confirmed that it will be airing on HBO as well. The show went into production in Port Hope, Ontario at the end of last year, and is now heading for an October 26 premiere… but you probably shouldn’t expect to see that evil clown Pennywise in the premiere episode. In an interview with Entertainment Weekly, the creative team revealed that Pennywise won’t show up until “deeper in the season.”
Following the October 26 premiere, new episodes of the first season will debut weekly, leading up to the season finale on December 14.
Brad Caleb Kane (Tokyo Vice) and Jason Fuchs (Wonder Woman), who was a co-producer on It: Chapter Two, are the showrunners on It: Welcome to Derry (and Kane recently signed on to be showrunner on the Friday the 13th series Crystal Lake as well.) The show is being executive produced by Andy Muschietti and Barbara Muschietti, the sibling director/producer duo that was behind the two It movies, through their production company Double Dream. Kane and Fuchs are also executive producing, as are Shelley Meals, Roy Lee, and Dan Lin. The series is produced by HBO Max and Warner Bros. Television.
Fuchs wrote the script for the first episode, working from a story he crafted with the Muschiettis. Andy Muschietti has directed four episodes of the nine-episode series.
Stephen King had this to say about the series when it was first announced: “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!“ The Muschiettis added, “As teenagers, we took turns reading chapters of Stephen King’s It until the thick paperback fell to pieces. 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.“
The cast of Welcome to Derry includes Taylour Paige (Zola), Jovan Adepo (Watchmen), Chris Chalk (Perry Mason), James Remar (Dexter), Madeleine Stowe (Revenge), Stephen Rider (Daredevil), Alixandra Fuchs (Hatfields & McCoys), Kimberly Guerrero (The English), Dorian Grey (Star Trek: Discovery), Thomas Mitchell (Gangland Undercover), BJ Harrison (Family Law), Peter Outerbridge (Saw VI), Shane Marriott (Law & Order Toronto: Criminal Intent), Chad Rook (Billy the Kid), Joshua Odjick (Little Bird), Rudy Mancuso (Música), and Morningstar Angeline (Westworld). Bill Skarsgård reprises the role of Pennywise.
We have heard that the plan is for the show to last three seasons, which each one going further into the past. The first season is set in 1962, the second season will be set in 1935, and the third season in 1908. Warner Bros. is reportedly happy with the first season and wants to start production on season 2 as soon as possible.
Speaking with Entertainment Weekly, the Muschiettis compared Pennywise’s presence in the first season to the shark in Jaws, as there will be a build-up to his appearance. Fuchs said, “It is a shapeshifting creature, and in the movies there’s only so much space to see those non-Pennywise manifestations.” Andy Muschietti promised, “If people are watching to be terrified, they will be terrified from the get-go.” That said, Entertainment Weekly was shown footage of Pennywise playing a tuba, and was on set to see the character (played in that moment by a local firefighter who was hired to be Skarsgård’s stand-in) chasing children around a frozen lake.
Will you be watching It: Welcome to Derry? What do you think of the fact that Pennywise won’t show up until later in the season? Let us know by leaving a comment below.
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