Welcome to Derry: Plot, Episode Count & Everything We Know about the Upcoming It Series
The most frightening clown is coming back for more.
In 2025, the series It: Welcome to Derry, a prequel to the It duology, will be released on Max. Work on this large-scale project took more than two years. The series was filmed by Andy Muschietti, the director of the It duology.
Welcome to Derry Release Window
In the spring of 2022, it was announced that a prequel to It was being developed within the Muschietti film universe. And despite the fact that Welcome to Derry has no original literary source, King is apparently not opposed to such a plot twist.
HBO and its Max streaming service took over production of the series. Muschietti is once again at the helm of Welcome to Derry, as is his sister and producer Barbara Muschietti. It is scheduled to premiere in the first half of 2025.
What Will Welcome to Derry Be About?
The plot of the It prequel, which will take place in the 1960s, will focus on the dark origins of the clown Pennywise, who terrorizes the provincial town of Derry every 27 years.
Pennywise's victims are usually children, but in the second part of the original novel by Stephen King, the clown also attacked the adult main characters.
The second part of It gave some explanations about the origin of Pennywise, but in the upcoming series, as the creators of Welcome to Derry promise us, this topic will be revealed much more fully.
Welcome to Derry Will Expand on Pennywise's Background
The original novel also tells very little about Pennywise's origin. It is known to be able to change its appearance, but in the book, the monster only appeared in two forms: a giant spider and an evil clown, because the second is more trusted by children.
According to the lore, it appeared in the void that surrounds our universe, also called the macroverse. The monster came to our planet on a meteorite millions of years ago and has lived mostly underground ever since, where the town of Derry was built.
It awakens every 27 years and its awakening is usually accompanied by terrible events. In the 1740s, about 300 settlers in Derry disappeared without a trace. In the 1950s, the central part of the city was flooded. It is possible that all these details will be reflected in the prequel.
Welcome to Derry Number of Episodes
Production on Welcome to Derry began in Toronto and Port Hope in the spring of 2023. Filming, which was scheduled to wrap in December, was suspended due to the Hollywood strikes.
Work did not resume until late January 2024 and production wrapped in August. Work on the project spanned 237 days of filming. The first season of Welcome to Derry is expected to consist of nine episodes.