First, look at HBO's IT prequel series. Its debut is scheduled for 2025.
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| Image Credit: Warner Bros. Pictures |
IT by Stephen King is undoubtedly one of the author's most beloved titles, so there is no surprise behind the desire to expand his legacy through various adaptations. After the brilliant films directed by Andy Muschietti, the Max streaming service (formerly HBO Max) announced the creation of a prequel TV series in 2022, entitled Welcome to Derry. HBO released a video with some previews of the series coming next year. Among these is that of Stephen King. This first film offers only brief glimpses of the series, with most of the shots reminiscent of footage already seen in previous adaptations of the novel, such as the shot of the menacing red balloon.
While an official synopsis has yet to be released, we know that the series will take place in the infamous town of Derry, Maine and that it will take place decades before the events of IT. In the novel and the original television adaptation, the first events of the story take place in the late 1950s, although in the two-part film adaptation of the story, this timeline was moved forward, with the first events occurring in the 1950s. 80.
Since Welcome to Derry is intended to be an extension of those films, the series should be set in the 1950s, to be able to explore the events that occurred in the town preceding the fateful encounters with the evil entity that lives in the sewers ( aka Pennywise). Welcome to Derry will star Madeleine Stowe, Stephen Rider Taylor Paige, Jovan Adepo, Chris Chalk, and James Remar. The series was developed by Andy and Barbara Muschietti, the minds behind 2017's IT and its 2019 sequel. Muschietti will also direct the episodes. Jason Fuchs and Brad Caleb Kane serve as co-showrunners.
The two IT films collectively grossed over $1.1 billion at the global box office upon their release. The second film, set 27 years after the events of the first, brought a stellar new cast to play the adult versions of the Derry children, including Jessica Chastain and James McAvoy. IT was previously adapted into a two-part miniseries for ABC in 1990, featuring Tim Curry's iconic performance as the terrifying Pennywise.
Source: Comicbook