Pennywise makes a comeback, with the notorious clown resurfacing from the sewers in IT: Welcome to Derry. With two IT films already adapting Stephen King’s novel, what is HBO Max’s new series about? From the trailer and the premiere episode, we see Pennywise (Bill Skarsgård) is back, and new children will confront him. But how does this tie in with the films and the book? We’ve outlined what we know up to this point, without revealing any spoilers.
Is IT: Welcome to Derry inspired by Stephen King’s book? Without getting into the details of the first episode, our main clues regarding the foundation of IT: Welcome to Derry come from the official HBO Max trailer and logline, along with statements from executive producer Andy Muschietti. “Situated within Stephen King’s IT universe, IT: WELCOME TO DERRY is grounded in King’s IT novel and broadens the perspective defined by filmmaker Andy Muschietti in the feature films IT and IT Chapter Two,” the logline states.
Thus, the series is indeed derived from the novel — but which segment? For that, we can refer to a Spanish interview Muschietti conducted with Radio Tu earlier this year, translated by Bloody Disgusting. “It’s a narrative that draws from the interludes of the book,” Muschietti mentioned. “The interludes are chapters that showcase Mike Hanlon’s inquiries. They’re snippets of his exploration. For 27 years, he’s attempting to understand what it is, who caused it, who witnessed it, and all those details.”
If you are familiar with King’s novel IT, you’ll recognize who Mike Hanlon is (and prepare for Stephen King Easter eggs in the series). If you haven’t read it, Mike Hanlon is the member of the Losers’ Club who remains in Derry after the kids initially defeat the creature. The novel contains five interludes, primarily diary entries composed by Mike, detailing Derry’s history and the times when Pennywise rises to feed.
“So they discuss disastrous events from the past, like the fire in the Black Spot, the massacre of the Bradley Gang, and the explosion of the Kitchener Ironworks,” Muschietti stated. These chapters of Derry’s history are the foundation for IT: Welcome to Derry.
What’s the connection between IT: Welcome to Derry and the IT films? While Muschietti’s IT films were sourced from King’s novel, there was a significant distinction: the childhood segment of the books is set in the late 1950s, whereas the childhood portion in the films occurs in the ’80s. This shift means all the cycles in Muschietti’s IT universe are advanced by one.
From the IT: Welcome to Derry trailer, we learn that the series is set in 1962, the cycle prior to the first IT film. Muschietti intends for this new show to span three seasons, each traveling back in time. In the novels, the killing cycles of Pennywise are framed by catastrophic incidents. The cycle of the 1930s begins with the Bradley Gang massacre and concludes with the Black Spot fire, while the earlier cycle ends with the Ironworks explosion.
It appears that the show will vividly depict these pivotal moments in Derry’s past. All you must do is endure the frights.
IT: Welcome to Derry premieres on Sunday, October 26 at 9 p.m. ET/PT on HBO, and will be available for streaming on HBO Max. New episodes will be released weekly.