After a long wait, the first look at IT: Welcome to Derry is finally here. The HBO Max series takes viewers back to where it all began — long before the events of the IT films that terrified audiences in 2017 and 2019.
The teaser opens in 1962, in the eerie, fog-covered town of Derry, Maine. We see a young boy trying to escape, eyes full of fear. Something is lurking, and longtime fans know exactly who it is. Pennywise the Dancing Clown is back — but this time, he stays mostly in the shadows. Instead of full-blown horror, the trailer leans into suspense, showing just how terrified the townspeople are as a quiet evil creeps closer.
Skarsgård Returns to the Role that Haunts Him
Bill Skarsgård is back as Pennywise, though it wasn’t a sure thing. Last year, he shared on the Happy Sad Confused podcast that he was thinking of stepping away from monster roles. But his friendship with director Andy Muschietti and producer Barbara Muschietti changed his mind. “They’re like family to me,” Skarsgård said. “So I said, alright, let’s bring him back.”
Each Season Dives Deeper into Derry’s Dark Past
Unlike the other films, Welcome to Derry is structured as an anthology. Each season will explore a different era of Pennywise’s sinister history. Season 1 starts in 1962, with plans to go even further back — to 1935 in Season 2 and 1908 in Season 3.
Director Andy Muschietti says the show is inspired by the “interludes” from Stephen King’s original novel. These include past horrors like the Black Spot fire and the Kitchener Ironworks explosion — events that signalled Pennywise’s return each time.
New Characters, Same Nightmare
While Pennywise is back, the rest of the cast is entirely new. Viewers will meet original characters played by Jovan Adepo, Taylour Paige, Chris Chalk, James Remar, and Stephen Rider. Their exact roles haven’t been revealed yet, but one thing’s clear — they’ll be fighting the same ancient evil that haunted the Losers Club.
Mark Your Calendars
Welcome to Derry premieres in 2025 on HBO Max. Only one season is officially confirmed, but the buzz around it suggests more are on the way. This time, we will finally know how it all started.
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