After IT: Welcome to Derry, we could see some other Stephen King prequel plans come back to life. The HBO series did tell its own story, but also had plenty of franchise connections. With reveals like Marge Truman being Richie Tozier’s mother, and the return of Sophia Lillis as Beverly Marsh in the epilogue, Welcome to Derry made major changes to how we see the IT movies. Though not yet renewed, the show is expected to be back for a second season, which would shift the story to 1935, but that might not be the only follow-up to it.
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Years before Welcome to Derry, a solo movie about Dick Hallorann had been in development at Warner Bros., with Mike Flanagan (who directed Doctor Sleep, which also features the character) behind it. This would’ve focused on him as a young man, showing his path to the Overlook Hotel and even detailing an encounter with Pennywise, which is what happens in Welcome to Derry. The film didn’t happen after the underperformance of Doctor Sleep at the box office, but with the success of the IT TV show, and a lot of love for Chris Chalk’s version of Hallorann, it’s possible a different take on a solo movie or show could happen. Speaking with TV Insider, Chalk discussed the possibility of at least returning to Derry in some way, saying:
“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.’”
Should A Dick Hallorann Solo Project Happen?
IT: Welcome to Derry‘s ending sees Dick leave Derry behind to go to London, where he is set to work as a chef at a hotel. This very much sets up The Shining, but there’s still 15+ years between the two stories, which leaves plenty of time to get him to the Overlook Hotel. Although the nod to his career was a little on the nose, Chalk noted that they wanted to have some fun with it since the threat of Pennywise had been dealt with, and that it was also part of his own desires for more Hallorann stories:
“You never want to wink at an audience, but the drama’s over. Let’s just have a little fun. And also, it’s like Chris Chalk’s own desire to see Dick manifest in his own show or something. So for me, it felt as aspirational as it did for Dick to go off into this unknown. But I’m lucky because I know in 20 or 30 years where he’s going to be, and I’m like, ‘Oh boy. What did he do to get there? What was the process to become this kind of more docile master of the Shine versus Dick now?’ 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.”
Chalk, at least, has a clear interest in revisiting Dick in some way, whether that’s a time travel twist bringing him back in Welcome to Derry, or something more directly focused on the character. WB, as well, likely has at least some interest too: not only did it explore Flanagan’s movie, but there was, for a time, an Overlook Hotel series in the works as well. That didn’t come to fruition either, but perhaps the success of Derry, and the performance of Chalk, could mean they put their hands together and combine the ideas into something new, following Hallorann after his battles with Pennywise, and showing what’s next for him.
Whether that’s a good idea or not is another matter, but it would really depend on the story. Dick is certainly a fascinating character, though one we’ve only seen in a supporting capacity to others, rather than the lead. Still, his shine abilities, and his dark past and future, mean there’s plenty that could be explored with him through the right framework, while seeing more of Chalk in the role wouldn’t be a bad thing.
All episodes of IT: Welcome to Derry Season 1 are streaming on HBO Max.
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