Showrunner Confirms Whether Pennywise Will Appear in ‘IT: Welcome to Derry’
HBO’s upcoming horror series It: Welcome to Derry will take viewers back to the eerie town that started it all, but it looks like Pennywise the Clown won’t show up right away.
The show, based on Stephen King’s classic novel It, will explore the roots of both the creature and the cursed town of Derry long before the events of the movies.
The series, which serves as a prequel to It (2017) and It Chapter Two (2019), is being developed by Andy Muschietti, Barbara Muschietti, and Jason Fuchs, the same team behind the hit films.
It stars Jovan Adepo, Chris Chalk, Taylour Paige, James Remar, and Stephen Rider. Bill Skarsgård, who terrified audiences as Pennywise in the movies, is returning to the role and will also serve as an executive producer.
Production on the show began in 2023 but was delayed by the actors’ strike that same year. Filming later wrapped in August 2024, and the series is now set to premiere on HBO on October 26. Andy Muschietti directed multiple episodes, including the pilot, with Jason Fuchs and Brad Kane serving as showrunners.
In a recent interview shared by EW, Fuchs explained that It: Welcome to Derry will dig into the backstory of both the town and the evil force that has haunted it for centuries. “Derry is the entity in many ways,” Fuchs said. “Obviously there’s a town that is separate, but to me, the stories are totally intertwined. If you think about the mythology in the book, It actually predates Derry. It has been there for millennia. Derry is a more recent innovation.”
Run. #ITWelcomeToDerry premieres October 26 on HBO Max. pic.twitter.com/YV2rCoYQOp
— HBO Max (@hbomax) October 14, 2025
According to Fuchs, the first season will focus on building that mythology before introducing Pennywise. “This season at least has some hints of an explanation, but we want to tell a complete story so that you leave the show with a different understanding of the creature, of the rules of the town, and what motivates It,” he said.
That means fans might have to wait a bit before the terrifying clown makes his appearance. But the show promises to reveal new details about how the town’s dark history and the creature’s origins are connected, something even longtime fans of the It movies haven’t seen before.
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