It: Chapter 3 Breaks Six-Year Silence With Major Update

So, about Pennywise quietly retiring after 2019... maybe not. Six years after It: Chapter Two looked like a pretty clear ending, producer and It: Welcome to Derry co-creator Barbara Muschietti is hinting that the door to It: Chapter 3 is still cracked open.

So, is a third movie actually on the table?

Short answer: not ruled out. In a new interview, Muschietti said the movies did wrap up the core story from Stephen King's book, but there are still corners of that world that have not been explored on screen.

"We shall see. It is a universe, and there are characters that are still fascinating. There are more gaps. When the great Stephen King wrote the book, I think that he left those holes on purpose. And if he didn't do it on purpose, they're just as great. They're great accidents, but for us, they are a wonder."

That's her on the record. Off the record vibe: she does not think the franchise is finished, even if nobody's announcing a movie today.

What would Chapter 3 even cover?

Muschietti says going back through the novel while building the first season of It: Welcome to Derry turned up new threads worth tugging on. She also points out that she and her brother first read the book as teenagers and are now in their early 50s and parents, which naturally shifts how they see the material. Translation: same story universe, different lens, new ideas.

She keeps it coy, but she also literally says she doesn't think this is the end. If you're sensing a pattern here, you're not wrong.

Where things stand right now

Here's the status check you probably came for:

• It: Chapter One (2017) and It: Chapter Two (2019) were widely praised and seemed to close the loop on the Losers vs. Pennywise story.
• Muschietti now says there are still unanswered pieces of King's book that could fuel more stories.
• While making It: Welcome to Derry season 1, she found even more angles to explore.
• She's clear that she doesn't view the series as the final word on this world.
• HBO has not officially renewed It: Welcome to Derry for another season yet.
• No It: Chapter 3 has been announced. But the door is open to future films or more series, if the stars align.

Bottom line: no formal greenlight, but the people who built the last two movies and the prequel series are openly talking about more. Do not deflate your red balloons just yet.