It: Welcome to Derry Lets Bill Skarsgard Push Pennywise Further Than Ever

HBO's It: Welcome to Derry finally hit the point in its first season where the real star shows up: Pennywise. Yes, Bill Skarsgard is back in the makeup, and according to the folks running the show, he gets to do things as Pennywise he never had the chance to do in the movies. If you felt the series was slow-rolling the clown, that was absolutely the plan.

Where things stand

Production kicked off in Port Hope, Ontario at the end of last year. The show premiered at the end of October and is rolling out weekly on HBO and HBO Max, with the season finale set for December 14. We’re past the halfway point now, which is when the creative team decided to open the door and let Pennywise stalk the halls.

The Pennywise rollout (and why they waited)

Co-creator and executive producer Barbara Muschietti told Entertainment Weekly they purposely kept Pennywise off the board early to keep the mystery intact. Honestly, it makes sense for a character who gets less scary the more familiar you are with him. Or, as Barbara put it:

"We decided that, in this season, Pennywise should be a little bit like the shark in Jaws. You really want to be strategic. In both movies, it was very important for us to keep the mystery and the fear for this character alive. We find that familiarity is the enemy of that. So it was important for us to delay the pleasure, or the terror, as much as we could."

Showrunner Jason Fuchs added that the timing of Pennywise’s entrance was driven by the story and characters, not just fan service. He also teased that Skarsgard’s performance goes to some unexpected places this time. Translation: after a slow build, expect payoffs with tricks we haven’t seen from him as Pennywise before.

Who’s steering this thing

Brad Caleb Kane (Tokyo Vice) and Jason Fuchs (Wonder Woman) are the showrunners, and Fuchs was a co-producer on It: Chapter Two. Small behind-the-scenes note: Kane also recently signed on to run the Friday the 13th series Crystal Lake. Andy and Barbara Muschietti, the sibling duo behind the two It films, are executive producers through their company Double Dream, alongside Kane, Fuchs, Shelley Meals, Roy Lee, and Dan Lin. It’s produced by HBO Max and Warner Bros. Television.

Fuchs wrote the first episode’s script from a story he developed with the Muschiettis. Andy Muschietti directed four episodes in this nine-episode season. Stephen King gave the series his blessing when it was announced, saying he was excited to see Derry’s nightmares keep going with Andy overseeing it and Barbara in the mix. The Muschiettis have been clear they always wanted to explore more of the novel’s scope and tone — not just the scares, but the heart, humor, and humanity in the middle of all that horror.

The plan beyond season 1

What I’ve heard: the aim is a three-season run, each one jumping further back in time — season 1 is set in 1962, season 2 would be 1935, and season 3 lands in 1908. Warner Bros. is reportedly happy with how season 1 turned out and wants cameras rolling on season 2 as soon as possible.

The cast

• Taylour Paige
• Jovan Adepo
• Chris Chalk
• James Remar
• Madeleine Stowe
• Stephen Rider
• Alixandra Fuchs
• Kimberly Guerrero
• Dorian Grey
• Thomas Mitchell
• BJ Harrison
• Peter Outerbridge
• Shane Marriott
• Chad Rook
• Joshua Odjick
• Rudy Mancuso
• Morningstar Angeline
• Bill Skarsgard returns as Pennywise

How it’s playing so far

JoBlo’s Alex Maidy gave the season an 8/10, which tracks with the vibe: confident, moody, and saving its biggest swing for when Skarsgard finally steps into the light.

If you’ve been waiting for the clown to really make his entrance, now’s the moment. Curious to see what new nightmares Skarsgard cooks up this time?