‘Welcome to Derry’ Creator Reveals Pennywise’s Origin Will Be Revealed but “Some Mysteries Remain”

Following the success of the two IT films directed by Andy Muschietti, it was clear to everyone that Warner Bros. Pictures would want to continue to tell stories set in the world created by Stephen King. Now, the next installment is almost here, and it’s in the form of an HBO television series. Titled It – Welcome to Derry, the series is set to be a prequel exploring the origins of the evil entity and its relationship to the dark history of the town of Derry. The upcoming show had a panel at San Diego Comic-Con 2025, where Andy and Barbra Muschietti teased that Welcome to Derry would answer some burning questions— and even create some new ones.

Andy Muschietti discussed how the creative team behind the series consulted Stephen King when it came to exploring the origins of Pennywise the clown, and the various forms the entity took while in Derry. According to the It: Chapter Two director (who developed the show), it was all about toeing the line between respecting the source material while creating something new:

“How did It become Pennywise. It’s one of the mysteries in the book. They mention this character called Bob Gray. So the conversations were about that and how do we tell the story…[We’re] always respectful– there’s a line. Some mysteries remain. Some mysteries are created.”

‘It – Welcome to Derry’ Will Be Just as Terrifying as the ‘It’ Movies

It – Welcome to Derry has been promoted as being an anthology series with plenty of potential. Muschietti had said in a previous interview that the plans for the show were to have each season take place in a different time period, with the first season taking place in 1962, with a second season in 1935 and the third in 1908. Social media posts online have already indicated that the second season was already in pre-production, proving that HBO sees the potential for the series to take off in popularity similar to the feature films.

It fans can also expect the show to be just as terrifying as the movies. Along with the confirmation that Muschietti would be directing several episodes, the director teased that he was surprised at what the studio allowed to be put in the series. The director said: “We still have the same level of intensity and scariness, and we have to give credit to the studio that supported us because, honestly, I did not believe we were going to be able to shoot stuff like that. And, it’s there on the screen, you know? And there’s a lot more of that.”

The series stars Taylour Paige, Jovan Adepo, Chris Chalk, James Remar, Stephen Rider, Madeleine Stowe, Rudy Mancuso, and, of course, Bill Skarsgård as Pennywise the clown. Part of what made the It movies so scary was the mystery surrounding who Pennywise was and how it came to be in Derry, so it will be interesting to see how much more intrigue the show will have when exploring how the evil entity envelops the town. It – Welcome to Derry is set to be released in October 2025.

Sources: ScreenRant