It: Welcome to Derry Star Teases Chilling Spin-off That Could Expand the Pennywise Mythos
It: Welcome to Derry’s Season 1 finale has sparked what’s-next buzz, and star Chris Chalk is already pushing a bold answer: a Dick Hallorann spin-off he has pitched to keep the saga growing.
Welcome to Derry just wrapped its first season by teeing up a very big Stephen King connection, and one of the show's MVPs is already trying to turn that tease into its own series. Honestly, smart move.
Chris Chalk wants a Dick Hallorann show, and he's already pitched it
Chris Chalk, who plays a younger Dick Hallorann, told TV Insider he has actively pitched a spin-off built around the character. He's not shy about it either:
"I've pitched it! I have also said, 'Hey, Dick can kind of do anything. Now that he's connected to the universe, there's no need to disconnect him.'"
If you watched the finale, you know why he's thinking this way. The season ends with Dick saying he's leaving to take a chef job at a hotel — a clear wink at the Overlook from The Shining. That is less of a curtain call and more of a sign that the real trouble is just starting for him, at least in Chalk's eyes.
"Because even once the show's over, he's by no means fixed. He's just broke. He just broke five minutes ago, so I predict that Dick is not well at all still."
What a Hallorann series could actually cover
- The in-between years: Fans want the stretch between his trauma in Derry and his eventual, fateful encounter with the Torrance family at the Overlook.
- The Shine: Hallorann learning to handle his psychic ability — the Shine — while dealing with the psychological fallout of fighting Pennywise.
- Where it happens: Whether it picks back up in Derry, shifts to the Overlook, or bounces around, Chalk sounds game to keep going.
Fans are already asking for it
Social media is predictably loud about this one. On Facebook, one viewer summed up the vibe pretty cleanly:
"I neeeeed a spin off for halloran he easily became my favorite character of the derry series!"
However it shakes out — back in Derry, on the road to Colorado, or checking into that very famous hotel — Chalk seems ready to keep Hallorann's story going. And after that finale, there's plenty of road left.