Welcome to Derry is the prequel to Andy Muscietti’s highly successful Stephen King movies It and It Chapter Two, and as work on the It TV series is well underway at HBO Max there’s already plenty to discuss. The It movies and story focus on the town of Derry, Maine, which is plagued every 27 years by a malevolent presence known as Pennywise. Pennywise is a demonic clown with extradimensional origins, able to take on a variety of ghoulish forms.

Pennywise feeds on fear, and his favorite snack is children, making him a more than terrifying adversary in It and It Chapter Two. While the origins of Pennywise, including why he takes the form of a clown, are hinted at in the original Stephen King novel and Muscietti’s It movies, much of his past is mysterious. The It prequel series Welcome to Derry will be expanding on the history of Derry’s killer clown, and will give a much more prolonged look at how his reign of terror affects the fictional city in Maine.

Most Recent Welcome To Derry News

Welcome To Derry's Release Plan Is Confirmed After Delay Rumors

the network did not provide any additional specifics, nor has it narrowed the wide release window to a certain month or even quarter of the year.

Several months after the Stephen King prequel series was featured in HBO's 2025 trailer, the latest news confirms Welcome to Derry's release plan. The long-awaited It series was the subject of a myriad of internet rumors which suggested the show wouldn't be arriving until 2026. Now, HBO has come forward and set the record straight by confirming that Welcome to Derry will arrive at some point in 2025. However, the network did not provide any additional specifics, nor has it narrowed the wide release window to a certain month or even quarter of the year.

Welcome To Derry Is Confirmed

The It Prequel Series Is Happening

Welcome to Derry is confirmed, with the announcement made in March 2022 (via Variety) alongside the reveal that Andy and Barbara Muschietti and Jason Fuchs would be producing the It prequel series for HBO Max. Filming began in 2023 though it was promptly delayed due to the SAG-AFTRA strike, which was eventually resolved in November 2023. Producer Jason Fuchs revealed that filming wrapped after over 200 days in August 2024.

Welcome to Derry is set for a 2025 release.

Welcome To Derry Cast

Who Is Playing Pennywise In HBO's It Prequel Series?

The Welcome to Derry cast has been largely revealed, although there have not been any teases about whom the actors starring in HBO’s It prequel series are playing. Most of the actors announced thus far comprise the younger cast of the show, following the trend set by It which saw a group of misfit youth take on the interdimensional creature. Though there will probably be a few connections to the cast of the most recent It movies, the characters will probably be all-new since it is set in the 1960s.

It has now been confirmed that Bill Skarsgård will reprise his role as Pennywise the Dancing Clown. Earlier news suggested he would not appear in the prequel, but now the veteran character actor will once again don the clown suit and pull double duty as an executive producer as well. Many ensemble have been announced, including Alixandra Fuchs, Kimberly Guerrero, Dorian Grey, Thomas Mitchell, BJ Harrison, Peter Outerbridge, Shane Marriott, Chad Rook, Joshua Odjick, and Morningstar Angeline.

The confirmed cast of Welcome to Derry includes:

Welcome To Derry Story

The Series Explores Derry In The '60s

There is a heap of Pennywise lore that has not been explored, and the book merely teased a lengthy history between the town of Derry and the freaky interdimensional monster.

Very little has been revealed about the Welcome to Derry plot. Stephen King never wrote a prequel to It, so the story of the HBO show will be completely original. The only confirmed details are that it will contain an origin story for Pennywise, and that it will be set in the 1960s (via a heap of Pennywise lore that has not been explored, and the book merely teased a lengthy history between the town of Derry and the freaky interdimensional monster.

One big hint is the story of the Black Spot, a club that catered to Derry's Black community that was burned down by white supremacists. The story is recounted to Mike by his father Will in the book, and images from the show reveal that Welcome to Derry may explore that terrible event in the town's history.

Welcome To Derry Teaser Trailer

Watch The Brief Teaser Below

The first footage for Welcome to Derry has been revealed as part of HBO's latest promo for new and returning shows. The footage is a small part of the video, starting at the 1:35 minute mark, in the "Coming in 2025" portion. It shows a group of kids riding bikes, as well as Pennywise's red balloon, and a voiceover of the words "This ain't America, this is Derry." While the new footage doesn't reveal too much, it does give a good sense of the way that the IT prequel show will approach the source material.

Another sizzle reel was released by HBO in August 2024, and it featured a brief snippet from Welcome to Derry's debut season. Though the teaser hardly gives away anything, it does highlight the gory storytelling and general dread that will pervade the Stephen King series.