HBO’s upcoming series Welcome to Derry is set to expand on the chilling mythology of Stephen King’s It, diving deeper into the dark past of Derry, Maine. The series, directed by Andy Muschietti—who helmed the successful It films in 2017 and 2019—will serve as a prequel, unraveling the town’s sinister history across three seasons.

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Ties to It and Stephen King’s Universe

Stephen King’s It, first published in 1986, is one of his most celebrated horror novels, chronicling the battle between a group of children—later known as the Losers’ Club—and the malevolent entity Pennywise, who terrorizes Derry every 27 years. Throughout the novel, King weaves in interludes detailing Derry’s violent past, exploring the cyclical nature of its horrors.

Muschietti’s Welcome to Derry will take inspiration from these interludes, expanding upon key historical events referenced in It to provide a deeper understanding of the town’s cursed nature and Pennywise’s influence across generations.

Seasonal Structure and Historical Context

According to Muschietti, the series will be structured in reverse chronological order, peeling back the layers of Derry’s haunted history:

• Season 1 (1962): This season will focus on the events leading up to the fire at the Black Spot, a nightclub that served as a safe haven for Black residents of Derry but was burned down by a white supremacist group. This tragedy was first recounted in It as one of Pennywise’s early resurfacing events.
• Season 2 (1935): Set in the midst of the Great Depression, this season will explore the massacre of the Bradley Gang, a group of bank robbers who were ambushed and slaughtered by the people of Derry—an event that eerily mirrors Pennywise’s ability to manipulate the town’s residents.
• Season 3 (1908): The final season will travel back to 1908, centering on the explosion of the Kitchener Ironworks, a catastrophic industrial disaster that left hundreds dead. In It, the Ironworks explosion is referenced as one of Pennywise’s earliest known feeding cycles.

Muschietti has emphasized that these seasons are directly inspired by the interludes from It, which chronicle Mike Hanlon’s research into Derry’s dark past. He stated, “Every time [Pennywise] comes out of hibernation, there is a catastrophic event that happens at the beginning of that cycle.”

Narrative Approach

The decision to tell the story in reverse chronological order is an intentional one. Muschietti has hinted at a deeper reason behind this structure, stating, “There’s a reason why the story is told backwards.” By unraveling Derry’s history in reverse, the series aims to gradually reveal the origins of Pennywise and the town’s eerie complicity in its reign of terror.

This approach allows Welcome to Derry to progressively strip away the mystery surrounding Pennywise’s influence, culminating in a season that may finally expose the origins of the entity itself—something King’s novel left largely ambiguous.

Production and Release

Welcome to Derry is slated to premiere in 2025 on HBO and Max. Bill Skarsgård will reprise his role as Pennywise, bringing back the terrifying presence that defined the It films. He will be joined by an ensemble cast that includes Taylour Paige, Jovan Adepo, Chris Chalk, and James Remar.

Anticipation and Expectations

Fans of Stephen King’s work and the It franchise are eagerly awaiting the series, hoping for a deeper exploration of Derry’s haunted past and the origins of its most infamous resident. By delving into different eras, Welcome to Derry aims to enrich the mythology of It, offering fresh insights into how Pennywise has shaped the town’s history for over a century.

As the series unfolds, viewers can expect a blend of psychological horror and historical drama, shedding light on the cyclical nature of terror that has plagued Derry for generations. Whether the show will answer the lingering mysteries surrounding Pennywise’s true nature remains to be seen, but one thing is certain—Derry’s past is filled with horrors yet to be uncovered.