It – Welcome to Derry
A prequel series exploring Pennywise's origins in Derry.
Last updated
HBO began airing It: Welcome to Derry on October 26, 2025, with new installments released on a weekly schedule.[1] During the first season, whose timeframe is 1962, a family consisting of a husband, wife, and their son relocate to Derry at the same time that a young boy goes missing.[2]
What the cited sources add
According to a Deadline Hollywood report, the series expands the vision from the films, which amassed a combined $1.17 billion worldwide.[3][4] The Portland Press Herald reported that Mitchell wanted native people depicted as "active protectors" managing evil with ancestral knowledge.[5] The same source noted that most of the series was shot in and around Port Hope, which stands in for Derry.[5] A Bloody Disgusting article revealed that Muschietti said the story is told backwards, with the first season in 1962, the second in 1935, and the third in 1908.[6]
The TechRadar article confirmed the series has nine episodes and takes place before the 2017 film.[7] A Deadline Hollywood piece from April 2023 reported that Andy Muschietti would helm several episodes, with the pilot among them.[8]
Key facts and facts and history
The idea for the prequel originated during the filming of It Chapter Two (2019).[9] In March 2022, Variety reported that Andy Muschietti, Barbara Muschietti, and Jason Fuchs were developing the series for HBO Max.[9] Principal photography began in Toronto, Hamilton, and Port Hope in May 2023.[10] The second season is set in 1935 during the Great Depression and focuses on the Bradley Gang massacre.[11][12]
Bill Skarsgård returns to his starring role as Pennywise and also holds the title of executive producer.[4][13] Because of the SAG-AFTRA strike, filming was halted in the middle of July 2023.[10]
References
- Wikipedia, "It – Welcome to Derry" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Thomas, "It: Welcome to Derry Sets Official Release Date On HBO Max", Screen Rant, September 2, 2025; White, "The White Lotus & Welcome to Derry Pushed To 2025 By HBO", Deadline Hollywood, November 2, 2023 (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
- Wikipedia, "It – Welcome to Derry" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Campione, "'IT: Welcome to Derry' New Teaser Unveiled At Comic-Con Teases The Origins Of Pennywise's Terror", Deadline Hollywood, July 27, 2025 (we also read that source) en.wikipedia.org
- Campione, "'IT: Welcome to Derry' New Teaser Unveiled At Comic-Con Teases The Origins Of Pennywise's Terror", Deadline Hollywood, July 27, 2025. facts only, no text reused. deadline.com
- Andreeva, "'Welcome to Derry': Bill Skarsgård To Reprise Pennywise Role In 'It' Prequel On Max", Deadline Hollywood, May 30, 2024. facts only, no text reused. deadline.com
- Routhier, "Stephen King's 'IT: Welcome to Derry' gets Indigenous perspective from Maine educator", Portland Press Herald, March 4, 2026. facts only, no text reused. pressherald.com
- Squires, "Planned Three Seasons of 'Welcome to Derry' Will Take Place in These Three Distinct Eras", Bloody Disgusting, January 9, 2025. facts only, no text reused. bloody-disgusting.com
- Seddon, "IT: Welcome to Derry – everything you need to know about the new Max horror series", TechRadar, April 14, 2025. facts only, no text reused. techradar.com
- D'Alessandro, "HBO Max IT Prequel Series Welcome to Derry Sets Taylour Paige, Jovan Adepo, James Remar & Chris Chalk", Deadline Hollywood, April 5, 2023. facts only, no text reused. deadline.com
- Wikipedia, "It – Welcome to Derry" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Huver, "'IT: Welcome to Derry' Creator Andy Muschietti Reveals Season 2's 1930s-Era Storyline Draws From Less-Explored Subplot In Stephen King's Source Novel – Contenders TV", Deadline Hollywood, April 26, 2026 (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
- Wikipedia, "It – Welcome to Derry" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Staff, "Filming Has Begun On IT Prequel Series Welcome to Derry", Fangoria, May 8, 2023; Hyatt, "'You may have noticed that our beautiful downtown looks a little different': Port Hope transforming for filming again", Northumberland News, May 12, 2023; Rajput, "IT prequel series Welcome to Derry filming in Toronto, Canada", KFTV.com, May 9, 2023; Nolan, "High school horror picture Whistle finds a home in the hallways of Delta", The Hamilton Spectator, December 8, 2023; Hyatt, "Update: Port Hope to welcome 'City of Derry' another ti en.wikipedia.org
- Wikipedia, "It – Welcome to Derry" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Grobar, "'It: Welcome To Derry' Renewed For Season 2 By HBO; Brad Caleb Kane Now Sole Showrunner", Deadline Hollywood, August 17, 2026 (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
- Wikipedia, "It – Welcome to Derry" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: McGowan, "'It: Welcome to Derry' Bosses on the Shocking Finale, the Future of Pennywise and That Post-Credits Scene That Ties It All Together", Variety, December 15, 2025; DeVore, "'It: Welcome to Derry' Season 2 is Officially Happening — Just Not Yet [Exclusive]", Collider, March 20, 2026 (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
- Wikipedia, "It – Welcome to Derry" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Otterson, "It Prequel Series in the Works at HBO Max", March 29, 2022; D'Alessandro, "HBO Max IT Prequel Series Welcome to Derry Sets Taylour Paige, Jovan Adepo, James Remar & Chris Chalk", Deadline Hollywood, April 5, 2023; Otterson, "It Prequel Series at HBO Max Taps Jason Fuchs, Brad Caleb Kane to Serve as Co-Showrunners (Exclusive)", Variety, November 9, 2022; Cordero, "IT Prequel Series Welcome to Derry Greenlit At HBO Max", Deadline Hollywood, February 23, 2023; Andreeva, "'Welcome to Derry': Bill Skarsgård To Reprise Pennyw en.wikipedia.org
Each numbered sentence above was checked against the source it cites before publication. Sentences citing Wikipedia adapt text from the English Wikipedia article It – Welcome to Derry (contributors), used under CC BY-SA 4.0; this entry is available under the same licence. Other sources were used for facts only; no text or images are copied from them.
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Sources
Compiled from Wikipedia and the sources listed below. Text from Wikipedia is available under CC BY-SA 4.0; this entry is adapted from it.
- Wikipedia: It – Welcome to Derry (CC BY-SA 4.0).
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