Andy and Barbara Muschietti Promise Maximum Scares in ‘IT: Welcome to Derry’: Reveal What the Future Holds For the Franchise
HBO is bringing Stephen King’s terrifying world of IT back to the screen with a new series titled It: Welcome to Derry. The show will act as a prequel to the 2017 and 2019 IT films and is set to premiere on October 26.
The series is created by Andy Muschietti, Barbara Muschietti, and Jason Fuchs, who also worked on the films, with Bill Skarsgård returning as the menacing Pennywise the Clown.
The show will star Jovan Adepo, Chris Chalk, Taylour Paige, James Remar, and Stephen Rider. Skarsgård also serves as an executive producer, helping guide the series from both sides of the camera. Originally planned as a movie, the story evolved into a nine-episode series, giving the creators more time to explore Derry and its terrifying secrets.
Andy Muschietti told reporters that television allowed them to expand on the book in ways a movie couldn’t. “We never did TV before, but there’s a bunch of TV shows that mean a lot to me and I appreciate the format, having a bigger canvas to tell a story,” he said. He explained that the novel left many questions unanswered, which the series can now explore.
“Our love for the book, and the vacuum created by all these mysteries and question marks in it, mean you end up, as a reader, not understanding everything, including the mystery of IT. What is IT? What does IT want?”
The series aims to push the horror even further. “We wanted to raise the bar higher in terms of shock value,” Andy said. “It’s about a self-imposed mandate of opening with an event that is shocking enough that you put the audience in a position where nothing is taken for granted, where nothing is safe in this world.”
The story takes place in the 1960s, a time of Cold War fears and nuclear paranoia, which adds a tense backdrop to the horror.
“It was very exciting to explore what the ’60s were in America, and what fear was and what kids were afraid of,” Muschietti said.
“It was the Cold War and kids in school were performing drills in case of a nuclear explosion. You can’t imagine the state of paranoia. People were asking, ‘Is there going to be a nuclear explosion tomorrow? What are we going to do? Will there be people with birth defects?’ It was very exciting to think of those ripples.”
Run. #ITWelcomeToDerry premieres October 26 on HBO Max. pic.twitter.com/YV2rCoYQOp
— HBO Max (@hbomax) October 14, 2025
It: Welcome to Derry is designed to be more than just a single season. The Muschiettis plan for at least three seasons, with each one going further back in time. Season 2 is set in 1935, expanding on the history of Derry and the origins of Pennywise.
“There is an intentional bigger arc that will open,” Andy said. “My intention with this was to create a story that is a little bit like an iceberg under the water all through Seasons 1, 2 and 3. There will be an expansion in the mythology and more answers to the big questions.”
The series draws inspiration from the novel’s “Interludes,” which explore Derry’s dark past. With a mix of supernatural horror, historical tension, and deep mystery, the show promises to deliver an intense and chilling experience for fans.
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