Welcome to Derry: Bill Skarsgård Reprising Pennywise Role in It Prequel Series

Stephen King‘s horror novel It is one of his most beloved titles that has transcended the world of pop culture. In the 1990s a three-part miniseries introduced fans to the very first live-action Pennywise played by the iconic Tim Curry but it wouldn’t be for another 27 years that an actual full fledged adaption would be released. 2017’s It directed by Andrés Muschietti starred Bill Skarsgård as the titular clown who terrorizes the fictional town of Derry, Maine. It grossed over $700 million at the worldwide box office, making it the highest-grossing King project by a wide margin. Although It Chapter Two wasn’t without its problems, it still pulled impressive numbers against the $79 million budget bringing the combined total to over $1.17 billion.

Three years after the release of It Chapter Two, reports indicated that Max would be turning the horror franchise into a prequel series. Nearly a full year later, the series was officially greenlit and has been in active development ever since. Welcome to Derry will star the previously announced Madeleine Stowe, Stephen Rider Taylour Paige, Jovan Adepo, Chris Chalk, and James Remar. As announced by Deadline, Skarsgård will reprise his role as the iconic clown. Skarsgård will reunite with Andy and Barbara Muschietti, the minds behind both It films. Additionally, Jason Fuchs and Brad Caleb Kane serve as co-showrunners of Welcome to Derry.

Skarsgård continues his venture into the world of horror with projects like 2022’s Barbarian and the upcoming Nosferatu adaption starring Willem Dafoe, Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Lily Rose-Depp and Nicholas Hoult. Skarsgård can next be seen in The Crow reimagining, currently set for release in August. Based on the cult classic 1994 film directed by Alex Proyas, the original starred Brandon Lee as Eric Draven who was tragically killed during production.

“As teenagers, we took turns reading chapters of Stephen King‘s It until the thick paperback fell to pieces,” the Muschiettis revealed in a statement back in 2023. “It is an epic story that contains multitudes, far beyond what we could explore in our It movies. We can’t wait to share the depths of Steve’s novel, in all its heart, humor, humanity, and horror.”

“I’m excited that the story of Derry, Maine’s most haunted city, is continuing, and I’m glad Andy Muschietti is going to be overseeing the frightening festivities, along with a brain trust including his talented sister, Barbara,” King added. “Red balloons all around!”