Bill Skarsgård walked into the IT: Welcome to Derry production office in Toronto last fall and found Pennywise’s costume waiting for him. Not his costume – the original from 1962 Derry. The prequel series finally explains where the monster came from.
Origin Story
IT Welcome to Derry takes place in 1962, jumping between the small Maine town’s dark history and Pennywise’s origins before he encountered the Losers’ Club. The HBO series runs nine episodes, exploring how the shapeshifting entity arrived in Derry and embedded itself into the town’s foundation.
Showrunner Brad Caleb Kane (known for Black Sails) spent three years developing the mythology with Andy Muschietti, who directed both IT films. The series adapts portions of Stephen King’s novel that the movies couldn’t cover – specifically the Black Spot fire in 1962 and the Bradley Gang shootout in 1929.
Skarsgård returns as Pennywise despite initial reluctance. “I thought I was done with this character,” he admitted during TCA press tour. “But Brad’s scripts showed there’s more story to tell. We’re exploring why Pennywise chose Derry and what happened to previous generations who faced him.”
New Cast
James Remar leads as Chief of Police Andrew Rademacher, who investigates disappearances connected to the Black Spot nightclub. Taylour Paige plays Vivian Raven, a singer at the club who survives an encounter with Pennywise. Their storyline parallels the Losers’ Club but with adults who can’t defeat the entity.
Jovan Adepo appears as Willie Edwards, loosely based on Mike Hanlon’s father from King’s novel. His character witnesses the Black Spot tragedy and spends decades researching Derry’s dark history. This connects directly to Mike’s research in the films.
The child cast remains under wraps, but casting calls sought actors 11-14 for significant roles. The IT Welcome to Derry timeline requires showing both young and adult versions of 1962 characters, similar to how the films jumped between time periods.
Production Details
Filming took place across Toronto and Port Hope, Ontario from July 2024 through February 2025. The production budget reportedly exceeds $100 million for nine episodes, making it HBO’s most expensive horror series after The Last of Us.
The Black Spot nightclub required constructing a massive set that fills an entire sound stage. Production designer Martin Whist (who worked on the films) created a 1962 segregated South atmosphere within Maine’s context. The nightclub becomes a character itself – beautiful but doomed.
Visual effects supervisor Nicholas Brooks brought 47 crew members to handle Pennywise’s transformations. The IT Welcome to Derry effects budget allegedly matches some theatrical films, allowing cinematic monster sequences rather than typical TV constraints.
Timeline Connections
The series bridges gaps between IT’s 27-year cycles. Episode 1 opens in 1935 during the Bradley Gang massacre, showing Pennywise’s role in that violence. Episode 2 jumps to 1962 for the main storyline. Later episodes explore 1908 and the Kitchener Ironworks explosion.
“We’re showing the pattern,” Kane explained. ” Every 27 years, Pennywise awakens and feeds. But what’s he doing between cycles? How does the town forget? Those questions drive our narrative.”
The IT Welcome to Derry final episode connects to the 1989 timeline from IT: Chapter One, showing how Pennywise prepared for the Losers’ Club generation. Bill Skarsgård filmed new scenes that bridge series to films seamlessly.
King’s Involvement
Stephen King consulted on scripts, offering notes about Derry’s mythology and character voices. He particularly influenced Episode 7, which explores Pennywise’s pre-Derry existence. “Stephen gave us freedom to expand his creation,” Kane said. “As long as we respected core themes about childhood trauma and evil’s banality.”
King’s novel includes extensive Derry history that the films couldn’t adapt. The IT Welcome to Derry series finally brings those sections to screen, satisfying fans who wanted deeper exploration of the town’s cursed past.
Release Strategy
HBO plans nine-episode rollout starting October 2025, running weekly through December. This positions the series as fall horror event programming competing with Stranger Things final season and other genre content.
The IT Welcome to Derry marketing emphasizes connections to films while promising new stories. Warner Bros. hopes to establish an IT universe that could continue with different time periods and characters. If successful, expect more Derry exploration through various eras.
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