Are you ready to float too? Get ready, because this is what we know so far about IT: Welcome to Derry, the highly anticipated TV series set in the world of Stephen King’s popular horror novel, It.
Stephen King has had amazing adaptations come out from his novels, from The Shining starring Jack Nicholson to Misery and many, many others, but the most recent adaptations of It, both the 2017 film It and It: Chapter Two, are arguably some of the best. While I will always have a special place in my heart for Tim Curry’s version of Pennywise the Dancing Clown, I think Bill Skarsgård takes the cake for who is the absolute scariest.
The two films ended up being a big hit, but now, we’re going to have another new addition in the form of the TV show, It: Welcome to Darry, and this is what we know.
What Is The IT: Welcome To Derry Premiere Date?
At the time of updating this in July 2024, IT: Welcome to Derry is set to release at some point in 2025, according to Deadline in November 2023. Originally, it was scheduled to release during Halloween 2024, but was pushed to 2025 due to the 2023 Writer’s Strike.
So we won’t be seeing Welcome to Derry on any 2024 TV schedule, unfortunately, but it’s still in the works.
Bill Skarsgård Is Officially Returning As Pennywise
We didn’t think we’d ever see this day, but in May 2024, Deadline officially confirmed that Bill Skarsgård would be returning to play Pennywise in the upcoming Welcome to Derry. It was up in the air for a long time whether the actor would reprise the legendary role, but thankfully, we will be seeing him come back again. It’s also confirmed that the actor is working as a producer on the series as well as starring.
Skarsgård has been quite busy. While he certainly made headlines for his role as Pennywise in the IT films, he’s been in a variety of other movies and roles such as 2022’s hit horror feature, Barbarian. Skarsgård was also in John Wick: Chapter 4 in 2023, and is going to be in the upcoming Nosferatu and The Crow.
At least now we can finally add him to the cast, so I’m so excited to see him in this upcoming show.
The Rest Of The It: Welcome To Derry Cast
Get ready, lovers of horror, because we have an idea of who is going to be in the upcoming Welcome to Derry series. Here is who we know so far is appearing in the series:
Taylour Paige
According to Deadline in April 2023, several actors were cast in the horror prequel, including Taylour Paige, Jovan Adepo, James Remar and Chris Chalk.
First up is Taylour Paige. The actress has appeared in projects like White Boy Rick, Hit the Floor, Zola and more, and will also have a primary role in the upcoming Beverly Hills Cop: Axel F alongside Eddie Murphy.
Jovan Adepo
Joven Adepo has appeared in several films, including Babylon in 2022, Mother! In 2017, and His Three Daughters in 2023. He was also a part of the famous HBO series, The Leftovers.
James Remar
James Remar is a well-known actor who has appeared in several films over his long career. Some of his most-known include the 1994 version of Miracle on 34th Street, The Warriors, 48 Hrs, The Cotton Club and more. He also held a prominent role in Sex and the City and played Dexter’s father in one of the best Showtime series’, Dexter.
Chris Chalk
Chris Chalk was also confirmed to appear in Welcome to Derry. He’s appeared in films like 12 Years A Slave, Godzilla vs. Kong and more. He also held a main role in Gotham, and appeared in the acclaimed miniseries When They See Us.
Of these four actors, we’re not sure who they are going to play in the upcoming series, but they are for sure confirmed for the Welcome to Derry cast.
Madeleine Stowe
Also announced from Deadline in April 2023 was that Madeleine Stowe had signed on for the show. The actress has appeared in many movies like 12 Monkeys, We Were Soldiers, and more, and also starred in the series Revenge.
Stephen Rider
That Deadline article from April 2023 also confirmed Stephen Rider joining the cast of Welcome to Derry. He’s primarily known for his role in Daredevil as Blake Tower, but has appeared in such films like The After Party, The Butler, The Dog Lover and more.
Chad Rook
Confirmed from Rook’s Instagram Bio, Chad Rook will appear in some way in Welcome to Derry. The actor has appeared in shows like Joe Pickett, Billy the Kid, Virgin River and more.
Rudy Mancuso
In July 2024 from Deadline, it was confirmed that Rudy Mancuso was set to join the cast. His role right now is being kept under wraps. The actor is known for his roles in the rom-com Musica, as well as The Flash, and more. He also is a musician.
Additional Cast Members for It: Welcome To Derry
While we do know plenty of cast members already, Deadline confirmed in July 2024 that there are several recurring cast members confirmed as well. These include:
- Alixandra Fuchs
- Kimberly Guerrero
- Dorian Grey
- Thomas Mitchell
- BJ Harrison
- Peter Outerbridge
- Shane Marriott
- Chad Rook
- Joshua Odjick
- Morningstar Angeline
All of their roles so far are being kept under wraps for now, but talk about an intense and awesome cast.
We might want to speculate about members from the cast of IT appearing in this new series, but apart from knowing it's planned to be a prequel to It, we don't have enough information to guess much about who might make sense to appear just yet. Maybe we’ll hear more about that possibility as the series draws closer.
What It: Welcome To Derry Will Be About
As mentioned before, Welcome to Derry is going to be a prequel to the story of IT, written by Stephen King. From the announcement regarding the order to series, the show is set in the world of Stephen King's IT, and it expands the universe of Derry that fans got the chance to see in both IT and IT: Chapter 2.
Back in March 2022, nearly a year before the series was officially announced by HBO, Variety reported that the planned series would take place in the 1960s and focus on the events leading up to the recent feature adaptations. The site also reported that we'd learn more about Pennywise's origin story. HBO's February 2023 announcement does not mention a specific time period or Pennywise's potential involvement in the series, so it's unclear if this information still applies to what's in the works.
At the very least, we know the story will be centered around the town of Derry, and from the sound of it, Stephen King, is certainly excited to see the story expand, as he said in the announcement for the series order.
I’m excited that the story of Derry, Maine’s most haunted city, is continuing, and I’m glad Andy Muschietti is going to be overseeing the frightening festivities, along with a brain trust including his talented sister, Barbara. Red balloons all around!
Welcome To Derry Will Feature “Demented Scares”
While I’m sure we’re not expecting some magical ride while watching a show that is based in a Stephen King town, we can all breathe a sigh of relief in knowing that Welcome to Derry will not be skimping on the scares.
In an interview with Variety in November 2022, Sarah Aubrey, the head of originals at Max, teased that Welcome to Derry will have demented scares, and that the people working on the show knew exactly what they were doing when it came to bringing this series to life:
We have been working with Jason Fuchs, Brad Caleb Kane, Andy Muschietti and Barbara Muschietti very closely…They’re so deep into this mythology and they have such a firm handle on the storytelling around these characters and also the demented scares that they’re putting into things. Sometimes I’m, like, ‘What’s wrong with you?’ Just all the wild ways they think up to terrify us. You’ll be hearing more concretely about that development very soon… Andy is very involved in every bit of this, so that is the real recipe for success and for delighting fans.
Ugh, I need this series to come sooner.
Andy Muschietti Is Returning To Direct Multiple Episodes, And Executive Produce
Also announced with the series order was that Andy Muschietti, who directed both IT films, is returning to the IT franchise with this series. Both he and his sister, Barbara (alongside Jason Fuchs, which we’ll talk about in a bit) developed the show, and now he is going to be working as an executive producer alongside his sister, Fuchs, and Brad Caleb Kane.
Muschietti is also set to direct several episodes in the series, including the premiere episode. The director spoke with his sister about how eager they were to continue the story, and share everything that they loved about it as kids.
As teenagers, we took turns reading chapters of Stephen King’s ‘IT’ until the thick paperback fell to pieces. ‘IT’ is an epic story that contains multitudes, far beyond what we could explore in our ‘IT’ movies. We can’t wait to share the depths of Steve's novel, in all its heart, humor, humanity and horror.
We also know from the Deadline article above confirmed Mancuso’s involvement in the series is that there will be nine episodes, and the exact amount of episodes Musichietti will be directing is four episodes.
Jason Fuchs Wrote The First Episode And Also Acts As Co-Showrunner
Writing a story that takes place in the wonderful world of Derry can be difficult, but Jason Fuchs is up to the challenge. In the press release, it was confirmed that Fuchs would not only write the teleplay for the first episode, but act as a co-showrunner alongside Brad Caleb Kane.
Fuchs spoke about the upcoming show and how it was the “opportunity of a lifetime” to return back to the world of the IT films, which he had worked as an executive producer on.
To be able to return to the world of my all-time favorite horror novel and help build upon the singularly brilliant cinematic universe created by Andy and Barbara is more than the opportunity of a lifetime, it's a dream come true -- or, maybe more appropriately, a nightmare.
It’s so awesome to hear someone have so much faith in their hearts for this upcoming adaptation, and for one can’t wait to see what he writes. Hopefully, it’ll be just as good as some of the best horror films of all time.
Filming Is Ongoing
IT: Welcome to Derry actually already began production. In an Instagram post that he put up on May 8, 2023, Andy Muschietti confirmed that the show had started filming, simply captioning it, “Welcome to Derry” with a picture of Clint Bowers, the apparent chief of police.
However, in 2023, filming was halted due to the SAG-AFTRA strike. It was reported by Yahoo in December 2023 that filming for the series would continue in January 2024, to keep up with the 2025 release date. However, The Hollywood Buzz reported that the series began filming again in Ontario in February 2024.
As of updating this in July 2024, there has been no update thus far on if Welcome to Derry has finished filming, but with an intended release date of 2025, hopefully that means it’s going well.
What are you the most excited for when it comes to Welcome to Derry? I’m so excited to see what these creative minds have to offer and my horror heart is chewing to get more details. Only time will tell.
