In 2025, Max will release the next chapter of the It franchise from acclaimed novelist Stephen King. Set 27 years before the events of the first film, Welcome to Derry will explore the beginnings of the titular murderous clown we know as Pennywise. In a sizzle reel sharing what’s to come in the new year, Max revealed new footage of the long-awaited series.
The new gaggle of kids are shown exploring Derry and one even gets pulled underwater in what appears to be a lake. There’s also a super creepy look at a familiar clownish smile. Alongside a returning Bill Skarsgård, vets Jovan Adepo (Babylon, 3 Body Problem) and Taylour Paige (Zola, Beverly Hills Cop 4) have also joined the fray. Additionally, newcomers Chris Chalk, James Remar, Stephen Rider, Madeleine Stowe, and Rudy Mancuso round out the ensemble cast.
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“This is a book we love a lot, and we felt that there was still a lot of story to be covered,” the Muschiettis told Entertainment Weekly. “It’s so rich with characters and events, we thought we would do justice to the book and the fans by going back into this world.
Specifically, we are telling the stories of the interludes, writings by Mike Hanlon based on his investigation that includes interviews he conducts with the older people in the town. In Welcome to Derry, we touch on the usual themes that were talked about in the movie — friendship, loss, the power of unified belief — but this story focuses also on the use of fear as a weapon, which is one of the things that is also relevant to our times.”
There is currently no release date set for the series, however it was confirmed to air on HBO and stream on Max upon release. It appears to be a shift in their content strategy where their bigger IP’s would be deemed “Max exclusives.” Now, with the success of the House of Dragons, they’ve chosen to optimize streaming.
While It has been a huge piece of pop culture for decades, the beloved novel united fans old and new in 2017 with the release of It. The film went on to gross over $700 million at the worldwide box office, making it King’s highest-grossing project. In 2019, It Chapter Two came along, receiving mixed reviews from critics. However, it pulled in impressive numbers against the $79 million budget bringing the combined total over $1.17 billion.