‘It’ prequel series ‘Welcome to Derry’ in development for HBO Max

Earlier this week, Richard Rushfield of the Ankler exclusively revealed that a prequel series to the recent It movies is in development at HBO Max. Rushfield’s report was later confirmed by Joe Otterson of Variety along with some additional production details.

Welcome to Derry will take place in the same universe as It: Chapter One and It: Chapter: Two, but be set during the 1960s. It will also reportedly take a closer look at the origins of Pennywise.

While the first movie is set in 1988, Stephen King’s original novel (released in 1986) set the Losers Club‘s childhood sequences in 1957-58. This may provide the series with a chance to explore many of the book’s memorable scenes that were merely hinted at or removed entirely from the films. It may also shift some of the book’s present day scenes (set in 1988-89) back a few decades. Add in the possibility of exploring Pennywise’s origins, there are all sorts of things that might make it on screen.

It: Chapter 2 (Warner Bros.)

Some of these sequences/locations may include:

• Hundreds of Derry residents disappearing in the mid 1700s.
• The Kitchen Ironworks explosion, which killed over a hundred Derry residents including multiple children at an Easter Egg hunt.
• The Bradley Gang shootout, which saw multiple Derry residents ambush and gun down a group robbers. Pennywise was spotted by multiple people during the bloody altercation.
• The Black Spot, a predominantly Black nightclub that was burned down by a white supremacist group. During the incident, Pennywise appeared to Mike Hanlon‘s father as a giant bird.

There are also all sorts of cosmic elements that longtime Stephen King fans will know, especially the stuff that’s connected to the Dark Tower series. While it’s doubtful HBO Max will attempt to do a direct tie-in/crossover with that series (or any of King’s other shared universe works), it could provide inspiration for some really cool world building.

It: Chapter One (Warner Bros.)

Andy Muschietti, who directed It: Chapter One and It: Chapter 2, will serve as executive producer on the series with with Barbara Muschietti and Jason Fuchs. Variety’s sources also say that Fuchs will be writing Welcome to Derry‘s primary narrative while the writer’s room is filled out. Andy Muschietti is reportedly set to direct the first episode, as well.

Read our comparison of It: Chapter One and the 1986 novel here.