“It” Prequel Series “Welcome to Derry” Unveils Trailer

Pennywise the Clown is back, but this time he’s haunting the small TV screen.

HBO Max has finally released the first trailer for the upcoming “It” prequel series, “Welcome to Derry”,  slated to debut this fall.

“Welcome to Derry” is set 27 years before the events of the two “It” movies, which were adapted from Stephen King’s iconic horror novel by director Andy Muschietti. It will begin in the 1960s, in the time leading up to the events of 2017's “It: Part One”.

As the story goes, the murderous entity It feeds on children before hibernating for 27 years, so the show follows It’s previous killing spree before the events of the “It” films.

Bill Skarsgard is back as Pennywise, and the “Welcome to Derry” cast also includes Taylour Paige, Jovan Adepo, Chris Chalk, James Remar, Stephen Rider, Madeleine Stowe, and Rudy Mancuso.

“This is a book we love a lot, and we felt that there was still a lot of story to be covered,” Andy Muschietti and his sister and producing partner Barbara Muschietti told Entertainment Weekly. “It’s so rich with characters and events, we thought we would do justice to the book and the fans by going back into this world. Specifically, we are telling the stories of the interludes, writings by Mike Hanlon based on his investigation that includes interviews he conducts with the older people in the town. In Welcome to Derry, we touch on the usual themes that were talked about in the movie — friendship, loss, the power of unified belief — but this story focuses also on the use of fear as a weapon, which is one of the things that is also relevant to our times.”

“Welcome to Derry” is produced by HBO and Warner Bros. Television, with a story by Andy Muschietti, Barbara Muschietti and Jason Fuchs. They executive produce alongside Brad Caleb Kane, David Coatsworth, Bill Skarsgård, Shelley Meals, Roy Lee and Dan Lin. Fuchs, who wrote the teleplay for the first episode, is a co-showrunner with Kane.

The series was developed for television by "It" filmmakers Andy Muschietti and Barbara Muschietti as well as Jason Fuchs.

Andy Muschietti, who directed “It: Part One” and 2019’s “It: Part Two”, is attached to executive produce the series along with Barbara Muschietti and Jason Fuchs.

Fuchs is writing the first episode of the series, based on a story by him and the Muschiettis. Andy will also direct multiple episodes, including the first.

Fuchs and Brad Caleb Kane serve as co-showrunners and executive producers, with the Muschiettis also executive producing via their Double Dream production company. Shelley Meals, Roy Lee, and Dan Lin also executive produce.

The series is produced by HBO Max and Warner Bros. Television.

The new “It” movies collectively grossed over $1.1 billion at the global box office upon their release. “It” was previously adapted into a two-part miniseries for ABC back in 1990, featuring Tim Curry as Pennywise.