Guys, I think it’s time to go back to Derry, because we know a lot more about this upcoming TV series, IT: Welcome To Derry than ever before. There have been some amazing Stephen King adaptations, from The Shining starring Jack Nicholson to Misery and many, many others, but one of the most recent adaptations of It, both the 2017 film It and It: Chapter Two, are arguably some of the best, for it’s horror, great storytelling, and fantastic acting.
The two films were huge and success came easily, but of course, we can never quite leave a horror world alone forever. So here is what we know so far about the upcoming spinoff series, IT: Welcome to Derry.
What Is The IT: Welcome To Derry Premiere Date?
At the time of updating this in May 2025, IT: Welcome to Derry will release in fall 2025, according to HBO Max. We do not have an exact date yet, but we at least know that it will be coming out on the 2025 TV schedule. And now, I am so excited. It’s the perfect show for spooky season!
The IT: Welcome To Derry Cast
With such a big title as IT, there has to be a decent cast for this show, right? Here is who you can expect to appear in the new horror series:
Bill Skarsgård Is Officially Returning As Pennywise
Bill Skarsgård is going to be back as 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.
The actor didn’t think he was going to return to the role – in fact, in an interview with the Happy Sad Confused podcast in January 2025, he said that he wanted Nosferatu to be the last of his horror roles, but that the friendship with the directors of the series is what brought him back:
Yeah. I felt like I was done with it, in a way. It was also because I was shooting this [Nosferatu], I was doing Orlok, and, to me, it felt like, ‘This is the nail in the coffin of my monster roles.’ So I did feel I was kind of over it and wanted to do different things. The Pennywise thing as well, I’ve been quite defined by it. Like, that’s 26-year-old me, I’m not still a young man…Barbara and Andy, the Muschettis, are doing it and I love them. They’re very close friends. Family, even. I’m the godfather of his son. I love them, so, alright, let’s bring him back.
Heck, I am so ready for this – and I can’t wait to see the actor take on the scary dancing clown one more time!
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 else will appear alongside Bill Skarsgard according to HBO:
- Taylour Paige
- Jovan Adepo
- Chris Chalk
- James Remar
- Stephen Rider
- Madeleine Stowe
- Rudy Mancuso
The Welcome to Derry cast is filled to the brim with talent! I can’t wait to see what they do.
Additional Cast Members for It: Welcome To Derry
While we do know plenty of main 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.
In an October 2024 interview with Entertainment Weekly, the creators, Andy and Barbara Muschietti opened up about what they were inspired by to create this series, and that it was mainly from the many interludes that Stephen King had Mike Hanlon do in the IT novel:
This is a book we love a lot, and we felt that there was still a lot of story to be covered. It’s so rich with characters and events, we thought we would do justice to the book and the fans by going back into this world. Specifically, we are telling the stories of the interludes, writings by Mike Hanlon based on his investigation that includes interviews he conducts with the older people in the town. In Welcome to Derry, we touch on the usual themes that were talked about in the movie — friendship, loss, the power of unified belief — but this story focuses also on the use of fear as a weapon, which is one of the things that is also relevant to our times.
Okay, now this? This is so cool, and such an interesting take. I need so much more.
And you want to know what makes it even better? Stephen King is certainly excited to see the story expand, as he said in the original 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!
Andy And Barbera Muschiette Returned Direct Multiple Episodes, And Executive Produce
As I talked about before, Andy Muschietti, who directed both IT films, returned to the IT franchise with this series. Both he and his sister, Barbara 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.
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. Hopefully, this series will be just as good as some of the best horror films of all time.
What are you the most excited for when it comes to Welcome to Derry? I’m ready to get terrified. It’s time for a Stephen King reread!
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