Derry, Maine is back on screen, and evil is stirring once again. HBO’s highly anticipated prequel series It: Welcome to Derry is currently in production, and new details from Entertainment Weekly and Deadline reveal how the show will dive deeper into the cursed town that birthed one of horror’s most enduring monsters, Pennywise the Dancing Clown.
Set in 1962, decades before the events of Andy Muschietti’s It films, the series explores the town’s dark beginnings through the eyes of the Hanlon family, particularly Leroy Hanlon, a war veteran returning home to a community where something sinister lurks beneath the surface. The storyline will also tie into the origins of the Black Spot, a nightclub for Black residents that becomes a central site of violence and tragedy, a key part of Stephen King’s novel that was only briefly referenced in the films.
Bill Skarsgård will reprise his chilling role as Pennywise, but sources say his appearance will come later in the season, allowing the show to build a slow, psychological dread before unveiling the iconic clown. Skarsgård is also serving as an executive producer.
Joining the cast are Chris Chalk (Perry Mason), who plays a younger version of Dick Hallorann, the psychic cook from The Shining, and Madeleine Stowe, Taylour Paige, Stephen Rider, and Jovan Adepo, among others. Chalk’s portrayal of Hallorann is said to offer a more grounded and complex look at the character, exploring his own connection to Derry’s dark energy long before the events at the Overlook Hotel.
Filming began in May 2023 in Toronto, Hamilton, and Port Hope, Ontario, locations that previously stood in for Derry in the It films. Production was briefly halted during the SAG-AFTRA strike but resumed in early 2024 under the working title Greetings from Fairview.
The creative team has described Welcome to Derry as a blend of “period drama and cosmic horror,” examining how hatred and fear manifest across generations. Expect the show to capture the fog-drenched streets, red balloons, and claustrophobic dread that defined the films, this time infused with deeper social commentary about racism, post-war trauma, and small-town decay.
It: Welcome to Derry is set to premiere on HBO and Max on October 26, 2025, with episodes releasing weekly. The first season will feature nine episodes, several of which are directed by Andy Muschietti himself.
Fans of Stephen King’s It universe can expect a haunting return to the town where the nightmare began, only this time, the story peels back the layers of evil that have been festering beneath Derry’s streets for generations.
