''It: Welcome to Derry'' is an upcoming American supernatural horror television series based on

Stephen King Stephen Edwin King (born September 21, 1947) is an American author. Dubbed the "King of Horror", he is widely known for his horror novels and has also explored other genres, among them Thriller (genre), suspense, crime fiction, crime, scienc ...

1986 novel '' It'' and serving as a prequel to the films '' It'' (2017) and ''

It Chapter Two ''It Chapter Two'' is a 2019 American supernatural horror film directed by Andy Muschietti from a screenplay by Gary Dauberman. It is the sequel to '' It'' (2017) and the second of a two-part adaptation of the 1986 novel '' It'' by Stephen Ki ...

'' (2019). The series was developed by

Andy Muschietti Andrés Walter Muschietti (; born 26 August 1973) is an Argentine film director and screenwriter who had his breakthrough with the 2013 film ''Mama (2013 film), Mama''. He gained further recognition for directing both films in the It (novel), '' ...

, Barbara Muschietti and Jason Fuchs, all of whom were involved in the ''It'' films. It stars Jovan Adepo, Chris Chalk, Taylour Paige, James Remar, and

Stephen Rider Stephen Rider (born September 25, 1979) is an American film and television actor. He is known for playing Admiral Stephen W. Rochon in the film '' The Butler'' (2013), Eric Millworth in the ABC series '' Lucky 7'' (2014) and Blake Tower in th ...

, with Bill Skarsgård reprising his role as Pennywise the Clown from the films. The series is scheduled to be released in late 2025 on

HBO Home Box Office (HBO) is an American pay television service, which is the flagship property of namesake parent-subsidiary Home Box Office, Inc., itself a unit owned by Warner Bros. Discovery. The overall Home Box Office business unit is based a ...

with nine episodes.

Cast

Main

* Jovan Adepo * Chris Chalk * Taylour Paige * James Remar *

* Bill Skarsgård as Pennywise the Clown

Recurring

* Dean Yool * Madeleine Stowe * Alixandra Fuchs * Kimberly Norris Guerrero * Tyner Rushing * Dorian Grey * Thomas Mitchell * BJ Harrison *

Peter Outerbridge Peter Outerbridge (born June 30, 1966) is a Canadian actor, best known for his role as Ari Tasarov in the The CW, CW action series ''Nikita (TV series), Nikita'', Dr. David Sandström in the The Movie Network, TMN series ''ReGenesis'', Henrik "Han ...

* Shane Marriott * Chad Rook * Joshua Odjick * Morningstar Angeline * Rudy Mancuso

Production

Development

In March 2022, '' Variety'' reported that

, Barbara Muschietti and Jason Fuchs were in development of and executive producing a prequel television series of '' It'' (2017) for

HBO Max Max (known in other countries as, and soon to be reverted globally to HBO Max) is an American subscription video on-demand over-the-top streaming service. It is a proprietary unit of Warner Bros. Discovery Streaming on behalf of Home Box Of ...

titled ''Welcome to Derry'', which takes place in the 1960s before the events of the film and will also include the

origin story In fiction, an origin story is an account or backstory revealing how a character or group of people become a protagonist or antagonist. In American comic books, it also refers to how characters gained their superpowers and/or the circumstances ...

of Pennywise the Clown. It received a production commitment in November 2022, and Fuchs and Brad Caleb Kane were hired as co-showrunners. In February 2023, the series was given the

greenlight In the context of the film and television industries, to greenlight is to give permission to proceed with a project. It specifically refers to formally approving its production finance and committing to this financing, thereby allowing the projec ...

and was reported that Andy Muschietti would direct multiple episodes, including the pilot, with Fuchs serving as writer. In April 2023, Jovan Adepo, Chris Chalk, Taylour Paige and James Remar joined the cast in starring roles. Additionally,

joined as a series regular, and Madeleine Stowe as a recurring guest.

Writing

In January 2025, in an interview with Radio TU, Andy Muschietti revealed details about the source material and longer term plans. He said that the series is based on interlude chapters from the ''It'' novel. He also said that three seasons are intended for the series, set in 1962, 1935, and 1908 respectively. "There’s a reason why the story is told backwards," he added.

Filming

Principal photography Principal photography is the phase of producing a film or television show in which the bulk of shooting takes place, as distinct from the phases of pre-production and post-production. Personnel Besides the main film personnel, such as the ...

began in

Toronto Toronto ( , locally pronounced or ) is the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, most populous city in Canada. It is the capital city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Ontario. With a p ...

Hamilton Hamilton may refer to: * Alexander Hamilton (1755/1757–1804), first U.S. Secretary of the Treasury and one of the Founding Fathers of the United States * ''Hamilton'' (musical), a 2015 Broadway musical by Lin-Manuel Miranda ** ''Hamilton'' (al ...

and Port Hope in May 2023 under the shooting title ''Greetings from Fairview'', and was expected to continue through December. Scenes were shot at the Delta Secondary School. In May 2024, Bill Skarsgård was cast to star and executive produce the series, reprising his role as Pennywise the Clown. It was also reported that series will consist of nine episodes, with Andy Muschietti directing the first four. In June, Alixandra Fuchs, Kimberly Guerrero, Dorian Grey, Thomas Mitchell, BJ Harrison,

, Shane Marriott, Chad Rook, Joshua Odjick, and Morningstar Angeline were cast in recurring capacities. In July, Rudy Mancuso joined the cast in a recurring role. In mid-July, production was suspended due to the SAG-AFTRA strike. In August 2024, it was reported that production on the first season had wrapped, and it was revealed that the series was titled ''It: Welcome to Derry''.

Release

''It: Welcome to Derry'' is scheduled to be released on

in late 2025 with nine episodes. It was previously slated to stream exclusively on

Max Max or MAX may refer to: Animals * Max (American dog) (1983–2013), at one time purported to be the world's oldest living dog * Max (British dog), the first pet dog to win the PDSA Order of Merit (animal equivalent of the OBE) * Max (gorilla) ...

References

External links

* {{HBONetwork Shows 2020s American horror television series American prequel television series American English-language television shows It (novel) Live action television shows based on films HBO original programming Television series about fictional serial killers Television series by Warner Bros. Television Studios Television shows affected by the 2023 SAG-AFTRA strike Television shows based on works by Stephen King Television shows filmed in Toronto Upcoming prequel television series Upcoming American television series