Particle.news
Download on the App Store

It: Welcome to Derry Premieres on HBO Max With Bill Skarsgård Back as Pennywise

The prequel widens Stephen King’s mythos by presenting Pennywise as one face of a larger force, grounding the fear in 1960s Derry.

Overview

  • Episode 1 debuted October 26 on HBO Max, launching an eight-episode season that rolls out weekly on Sundays through December 14.
  • The story is set in 1962 and follows the Hanlon family in a Derry shaped by racial tensions, Cold War anxieties and a nearby military presence.
  • Andy Muschietti directed the first four episodes, with the series developed by Andy and Barbara Muschietti and Jason Fuchs, and Brad Caleb Kane as co-showrunner.
  • Creators stress restrained use of Pennywise and clarify that ‘It’ can take multiple simultaneous forms, with the clown as only one manifestation.
  • Stephen King publicly praised the premiere as genuinely frightening, and Andy Muschietti says HBO Max plans at least three seasons.