Welcome to Derry

Welcome to Derry  is an upcoming American supernatural horror television series based on Stephen King‘s 1986 novel It. Serving as a prequel to the films It (2017) and It Chapter Two (2019), the series was developed by Andy Muschietti, Barbara Muschietti and Jason Fuchs, all of whom were involved in the It films. The series stars Taylour Paige, Jovan Adepo, Chris Chalk, James Remar, Stephen Rider, Clara Stack, Amanda Christine, and Mikkal Karim-Fidler, with Bill Skarsgård (who also serves as an executive producer) reprising his role as Pennywise from the films.

Andy and Barbara Muschietti along with Fuchs were developing an It television series by March 2022. After receiving a production commitment later that November, Fuchs and Brad Kane were hired as showrunners. The series was greenlit in February 2023, with Andy Muschietti attached to direct multiple episodes, including the pilot episode, and Fuchs as a writer. Casting began later in April, including Skarsgård being cast in May 2024, and ended in July 2025. Filming for the series began in May 2023 but was halted that July due to the 2023 SAG-AFTRA strike. Filming ended in August 2024.

It: Welcome to Derry is set to premiere on HBO on October 26, 2025.

Premise

In 1962, a couple with their son move to Derry, Maine just as a young boy disappears. With their arrival, very bad things begin to happen in the town.^[3]

Cast and characters

Main

• Taylour Paige as Charlotte Hanlon^[4]
• Jovan Adepo as Leroy Hanlon^[4]
• Blake Cameron James as Will Hanlon^[5]
• Chris Chalk as Dick Hallorann^[4]
• James Remar as General Shaw^[5]
• Stephen Rider as Hank^[6]
• Madeleine Stowe
• Rudy Mancuso as Captain Pauly Russo^[5]
• Clara Stack as Lilly
• Amanda Christine as Ronnie Grogan
• Mikkal Karim-Fidler as Teddy
• Bill Skarsgård as Pennywise

Recurring

• Dean Yool
• Alixandra Fuchs
• Kimberly Norris Guerrero as Rose^[7]
• Tyner Rushing
• Dorian Grey
• Thomas Mitchell
• BJ Harrison
• Peter Outerbridge
• Shane Marriott
• Chad Rook
• Joshua Odjick
• Morningstar Angeline

Episodes

Production

Development

In March 2022, Variety reported that Andy Muschietti, Barbara Muschietti and Jason Fuchs were developing and serving as executive producers of a prequel television series of the film It (2017) for HBO Max titled Welcome to Derry, which was to take place in the 1960s before the events of the film and would also include the origin story of Pennywise.^[10][11] It received a production commitment in November 2022, and Fuchs and Brad Caleb Kane were hired as co-showrunners.^[12] The series was given a greenlight in February 2023 with Andy Muschietti directing multiple episodes, including the pilot written by Fuchs.^[13] Bill Skarsgård serves as an executive producer.^[9]

Writing

In January 2025, in an interview with Radio TU, Andy Muschietti revealed details about the source material and longer-term plans. He said that the series is based on interlude chapters from the It novel. He also said that three seasons are intended for the series, set in 1962, 1935, and 1908 respectively. “There’s a reason why the story is told backwards,” he added.^[14][15] Muschietti mentioned how with the first season they are only “opening a window” of the story and that it will really “manifest” in the second and third seasons.^[16] The series will also focus on why Pennywise stays in Derry when he could go “somewhere else” and why he takes advantage of children since adults don’t understand what happens to them.^[17] Executive producer Jason Fuchs said that the plan, apart from revealing the origin of Pennywise, is also the origin of the “cursed town.” For Fuchs, Derry is also the entity “in many ways” since Pennywise “actually predates Derry”. If given the opportunity, over the planned seasons they plan to leave a “different understanding of the creature, the town’s rules, and what motivates It.”^[6]

Casting

In April 2023, Jovan Adepo, Chris Chalk, Taylour Paige and James Remar joined the cast in starring roles.^[11] Additionally, Stephen Rider joined as a series regular, and Madeleine Stowe as a recurring guest.^[18] In May 2024, Bill Skarsgård was cast to star in the series, reprising his role as Pennywise.^[9] In June 2024, Alixandra Fuchs, Kimberly Guerrero, Dorian Grey, Thomas Mitchell, BJ Harrison, Peter Outerbridge, Shane Marriott, Chad Rook, Joshua Odjick, and Morningstar Angeline were cast in recurring capacities.^[19] In July, Rudy Mancuso joined the cast in a recurring role.^[20]

Filming

Principal photography began in Toronto, Hamilton and Port Hope in May 2023, under the shooting title Greetings from Fairview, and was expected to continue through December.^[21][22][23] Scenes were shot at the Delta Secondary School.^[24] In mid-July 2023, production was suspended due to the SAG-AFTRA strike.^[25] In August 2024, it was reported that production on the series had concluded,^[26][27] and it was revealed that the series was titled It: Welcome to Derry.^[28] Barbara Muschietti revealed the difficulty of returning to film the series with the child cast after the 2023 Hollywood strikes, as they were “in a state of spontaneous growth.”^[6]

Music

In May 2025, it was reported that Benjamin Wallfisch would score the series. Wallfisch previously scored the It films.^[29]

Marketing

The first teaser was released on May 20, 2025.^[30] The second teaser was shown to attendees at San Diego Comic-Con 2025 and released to the public the following day.^[3] The official trailer was released on September 23, showing a full look at Pennywise.^[2] Muschietti and some of the cast attended New York Comic-Con to talk about the season.^[7] A red band trailer was released on October 14.^[31]

Release

It: Welcome to Derry is scheduled to premiere on HBO on October 26, 2025, with subsequent episodes airing weekly.^[32] It was previously slated to stream exclusively on HBO Max.^[33]

Reception

Critical response

On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, 77% of 53 critics’ reviews are positive. The website’s consensus reads: “While scattered plotting occasionally drains the fear from its chilling premise, IT: Welcome to Derry compellingly deepens the myth of Pennywise through sharp social commentary, a dreadful atmosphere, and committed performances.”^[34] Metacritic, which uses a weighted average, assigned the series a score of 58 out of 100, based on 23 critics, indicating “mixed or average” reviews.^[35]

Emma Kiely for Collider emphasized how the story of the adults is much “stronger” than that of the children, with this group not being as “charming” as the group from the movies, but praised Taylour Paige and Jovan Adepo performances and Clara Stack “standout” from the group of children.^[36] Chris Hayner for Polygon called the series an “excellent prequel” and that he was more interested in the lore of Derry and the influence of Pennywise on it than in the films. He mentions how the violence is “plenty graphic” and how Pennywise terrorizes and controls the town is seen “through other methods.”^[37]

Chris Evangelista for /Film criticized the series’ attempt to answer every mystery that is presented, even those that “no one was asking” and that it is not necessary to reveal Pennywise’s origin since “things like that should defy a reasonable explanation”, but praised that “it is consistently bloody” and that Bill Skarsgård doesn’t appear in every episode with Pennywise seen more as a “shape-shifting creature” that “enhances the show” with a higher variety of scares. He considers that the series would “satisfy hungry horror fans.”^[38]

Jack Hamilton for Slate dubbed the series “a baffling, half-baked mess”, complimenting the acting performances of the adult cast and highlighting some standout horror sequences, but criticized the “one-dimensional” writing for the child characters, overly complex plotting, “dated” representation of Native Americans in the United States, weak fanservice and “ham-fisted forays into socio-historical commentary”.^[39]

References

1.  “It: Welcome to Derry“. Writers Guild of America West. Retrieved May 20, 2025.
2.  Campione, Katie (September 23, 2025). “‘IT: Welcome To Derry’ New Trailer Teases “Something Bad Is Coming” In Andy Muschietti’s HBO Prequel Series”. Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on October 12, 2025. Retrieved October 12, 2025.
3.  Campione, Katie (July 27, 2025). “‘IT: Welcome To Derry’ New Teaser Unveiled At Comic-Con Teases The Origins Of Pennywise’s Terror”. Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on July 30, 2025. Retrieved July 30, 2025.
4.  Truitt, Brian (July 27, 2025). “Stephen King’s ‘It: Welcome to Derry’ prequel for HBO gets first look”. USA Today. Archived from the original on July 29, 2025. Retrieved July 27, 2025.
5.  Romano, Nick (October 8, 2025). “Meet the Hanlons! ‘It: Welcome to Derry’ stars introduce Mike’s grandparents and the horrors of the 1960s”. Entertainment Weekly. Archived from the original on October 9, 2025. Retrieved October 8, 2025.
6.  Romano, Nick (October 16, 2025). “‘Welcome to Derry’: On set of the ‘It’ prequel tracing Pennywise’s origins (exclusive)”. Entertainment Weekly. Archived from the original on October 18, 2025. Retrieved October 16, 2025.
7.  White, Abbey (October 11, 2025). “‘It: Welcome to Derry’ Executive Producer Andy Muschietti and Team on How Prequel Builds on Unanswered Questions in Films and Book”. The Hollywood Reporter. Archived from the original on October 12, 2025. Retrieved October 11, 2025.
8.  “Shows A-Z – It: Welcome to Derry on HBO”. The Futon Critic. Retrieved October 21, 2025.
9.  Andreeva, Nellie (May 30, 2024). “‘Welcome To Derry’: Bill Skarsgård To Reprise Pennywise Role In ‘It’ Prequel On Max”. Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on May 30, 2024. Retrieved May 30, 2024.
10.  Otterson, Joe (March 29, 2022). “It Prequel Series in the Works at HBO Max”. Variety. Archived from the original on March 31, 2022. Retrieved March 31, 2022.
11.  D’Alessandro, Anthony (April 5, 2023). “HBO Max IT Prequel Series Welcome To Derry Sets Taylour Paige, Jovan Adepo, James Remar & Chris Chalk”. Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on April 5, 2023. Retrieved April 5, 2023.
12.  Otterson, Joe (November 9, 2022). “It Prequel Series at HBO Max Taps Jason Fuchs, Brad Caleb Kane to Serve as Co-Showrunners (Exclusive)”. Variety. Archived from the original on November 9, 2022. Retrieved November 9, 2022.
13.  Cordero, Rosy (February 23, 2023). “IT Prequel Series Welcome To Derry Greenlit At HBO Max”. Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on February 23, 2023. Retrieved February 23, 2023.
14.  Squires, John (January 9, 2025). “Planned Three Seasons of “Welcome to Derry” Will Take Place in These Three Distinct Eras”. Bloody Disgusting. Archived from the original on January 9, 2025. Retrieved January 9, 2025.
15.  Seddon, Gem (April 14, 2025). “IT: Welcome to Derry – everything you need to know about the new Max horror series”. TechRadar. Retrieved May 21, 2025.
16.  Dodge, John (October 5, 2025). “New Stephen King Show Promises to ‘Raise the Bar’ When It Comes to Horror Scenes”. Comic Book Resources. Archived from the original on October 7, 2025. Retrieved October 7, 2025.
17.  Rudoy, Matthew (October 11, 2025). “Pennywise’s First Attack In IT Prequel Series Revealed In Terrifying New Scene”. Screen Rant. Archived from the original on October 11, 2025. Retrieved October 11, 2025.
18.  D’Alessandro, Anthony (April 14, 2023). “Max It Prequel Series Welcome To Derry Welcomes Madeleine Stowe & Stephen Rider”. Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on April 25, 2023. Retrieved April 14, 2023.
19.  Petski, Denise (June 26, 2024). “It Prequel Series Welcome To Derry Adds 10 To Cast Including Alixandra Fuchs, Kimberly Guerrero, Dorian Grey, Joshua Odjick”. Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on June 26, 2024. Retrieved June 26, 2024.
20.  Petski, Denise (July 1, 2024). “Rudy Mancuso Joins It Prequel Series Welcome To Derry At HBO”. Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on July 1, 2024. Retrieved July 1, 2024.
21.  Staff, Fangoria (May 8, 2023). “Filming Has Begun On IT Prequel Series Welcome to Derry“. Fangoria. Archived from the original on May 8, 2023. Retrieved May 8, 2023.
22.  Hyatt, Sarah (May 12, 2023). “‘You may have noticed that our beautiful downtown looks a little different’: Port Hope transforming for filming again”. Northumberland News. Archived from the original on August 12, 2023. Retrieved August 12, 2023.
23.  Rajput, Priyanca (May 9, 2023). “IT prequel series Welcome to Derry filming in Toronto, Canada”. KFTV.com. Archived from the original on June 20, 2023. Retrieved June 20, 2023.
24.  Nolan, Daniel (December 8, 2023). “High school horror picture Whistle finds a home in the hallways of Delta”. The Hamilton Spectator. Retrieved December 8, 2023.
25.  Hyatt, Sarah (July 13, 2023). “Update: Port Hope to welcome ‘City of Derry’ another time as July filming postponed”. The Peterborough Examiner. Archived from the original on August 12, 2023. Retrieved August 11, 2023.
26.  Schreur, Brandon (August 2, 2024). “Welcome to Derry: It Prequel Series Has Wrapped Filming”. ComingSoon. Archived from the original on August 2, 2024. Retrieved August 2, 2024.
27.  Northrup, Ryan (August 2, 2024). “IT Prequel Series Welcome To Derry Officially Wraps Filming”. Screen Rant. Archived from the original on August 2, 2024. Retrieved August 2, 2024.
28.  Garner, Glenn (August 4, 2024). “HBO Teases Catherine O’Hara’s ‘The Last of Us’ Role, First Footage Of ‘The White Lotus’ Season 3, ‘A Knight of Seven Kingdoms'”. Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on August 5, 2024. Retrieved August 5, 2024.
29.  “Benjamin Wallfisch Scoring HBO’s ‘IT: Welcome to Derry'”. Film Music Reporter. May 20, 2025. Archived from the original on July 29, 2025. Retrieved July 21, 2025.
30.  Moreau, Jordan (May 20, 2025). “‘Welcome to Derry’ Trailer: Pennywise Returns in It Prequel on HBO Max”. Variety. Archived from the original on October 12, 2025. Retrieved May 20, 2025.
31.  Edwards, Belen (October 14, 2025). “‘IT: Welcome to Derry’ red band trailer reveals the return of Pennywise”. Mashable. Archived from the original on October 15, 2025. Retrieved October 15, 2025.
32.  Thomas, Matthew (September 2, 2025). “It: Welcome To Derry Sets Official Release Date On HBO Max”. Screen Rant. Archived from the original on September 2, 2025. Retrieved September 2, 2025.
33.  White, Peter (November 2, 2023). “The White Lotus & Welcome To Derry Pushed To 2025 By HBO”. Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on December 4, 2023. Retrieved November 2, 2023.
34.  “It: Welcome to Derry: Season 1″. Rotten Tomatoes. Fandango Media. Retrieved October 24, 2025.
35.  “It: Welcome to Derry: Season 1″. Metacritic. Fandom, Inc. Retrieved October 24, 2025.
36.  Kiely, Emma (October 22, 2025). “‘IT: Welcome to Derry’ Review: HBO’s Stephen King Prequel Doesn’t Top the Films’ Intense Scares”. Collider. Archived from the original on October 26, 2025. Retrieved October 26, 2025.
37.  Hayner, Chris (October 22, 2025). “Welcome to Derry is the best, scariest It story yet”. Polygon. Archived from the original on October 26, 2025. Retrieved October 26, 2025.
38.  Evangelista, Chris (October 22, 2025). “It: Welcome To Derry Review: The Stephen King Prequel Series Is Surprisingly Scary And Gruesome”. /Film. Archived from the original on October 26, 2025. Retrieved October 26, 2025.
39.  Hamilton, Jack (October 25, 2025). “‘It: Welcome to Derry’ Is a Baffling, Half-Baked Mess”. Slate. Retrieved October 25, 2025.

External links

Categories: 

• American prequel television series
• American English-language television shows
• It (novel)
• Live action television shows based on films
• HBO original programming
• Television series about serial killers
• Television series based on adaptations
• Television series by Warner Bros. Television Studios
• Television series set in 1962
• Television shows affected by the 2023 SAG-AFTRA strike
• Television shows based on American novels
• Television shows based on works by Stephen King
• Television shows filmed in Toronto
• Television shows set in Maine
• Upcoming prequel television series
• Upcoming American television series

This page was last edited on 26 October 2025, at 20:36 (UTC).