Summary
Welcome to Derryco-showrunner and executive producer Jason Fuchs reveals that theItprequel series has wrapped filming. After the massive success of 2017’sItand 2019’sIt Chapter Two, the world of Stephen King’s beloved novel is now set to be further explored in an HBO prequel show.Welcome to Derry’s storytakes place in the 1960s and features the return of Bill Skarsgård as Pennywise, with a release ddate expected in 2025.
Fuchs now shares onInstagram(viaCollider) that filming onWelcome to Derryhas now concluded. Fuchs' post includes an image of his production chair on set with his name stitched onto the back along with a red balloon, now an iconic image for the franchise. In the caption, he writes:
“237 shoot days later… That is a picture wrap on this season of “Welcome to Derry”. Surreal. What a ride. Can’t wait for you to see this thing.”
Welcome To Derry Is The Best Way To Continue The It Franchise
The Stephen King Adaptations Have Been Hits
The firstItmovie earned mostly positive reviews from critics and became a major box office hit. Made on an estimated budget of $35 million, the film went on to gross a staggering $702.8 million worldwide. The sequel, which was released to more mixed reviews and made on a bigger estimated budget of $79 million, was also a hit, grossing $473 million. Clearly, then, there is audience interest in the franchise, and it makes sense from a business perspective to continue the story and further expand that world.
In addition to Skarsgård, theWelcome to Derrycast includes: Taylour Paige, James Remar, Madeleine Stowe, Jovan Adepo, Kimberly Guerrero, and Peter Outerbridge, among others.
Instead of another feature film, an HBO series will provide more room to more fully flesh out the town of Derry and its residents. With nine episodes, more time can be devoted to individual characters and their respective arcs, in addition to featuring plenty of callbacks to the films.It Chapter Two’s endingcloses the door on the stories for many of the main characters and generally wraps things up in a satisfying way, making a prequel a great option over a sequel.
10 Stephen King Book Moments The HBO Pennywise Prequel Can Reference (That The IT Movies Left Out)
The HBO series Welcome To Derry, which serves as a Pennywise prequel, could include many Stephen King book moments that didn’t occur in the IT movies.
Skarsgård’s chilling performance asPennywise the Clownis widely considered a highlight of both movie adaptations, andWelcome to Derrybeing a prequel means the monster’s origins can now be explored. What’s more, the show’s 1960s setting is closer to the 1950s-set sequences of King’s novel, meaningWelcome to Derrycould actually end up being a more faithful take on King’s vision, at least in some ways. Many questions remain about the HBO prequel show, but it’s now evidently one step closer.
It: Welcome to Derry
Cast
IT: Welcome to Derry serves as a prequel to the IT films, exploring the origins of Pennywise the Clown. Set in the 1960s, this installment dives into the backdrop of Derry, unveiling the dark history and circumstances surrounding the infamous creature.
