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Not only does HBO's upcoming prequel series IT: Welcome to Derry bring back Bill Skarsgård's dancing clown Pennywise, but the show also features a character from Stephen King's 1977 novel The Shining.
In Welcome to Derry's most recent trailer, we see more of a man named Richard 'Dick' Hallorann. If that name sounds familiar to you, that's because Hallorann is the head chef at the Overlook Hotel in King's The Shining. Later in the story, Hallorann is revealed to have the same telepathic abilities that Danny does and is able to detect that Danny's father, Jack Torrance, has been taken over by the evil spirits of the hotel.
However, this is not the first time that Hallorann has been brought to life on screen, as Scatman Crothers took on the role in Stanley Kubrick's 1980 adaptation of the same name, and in the 2019 follow-up Doctor Sleep, Hallorann was played by Carl Lumbly. However, seeing as though IT: Welcome to Derry is set over 10 years before The Shining, the series sees Hallorann portrayed by a slightly younger actor, Chris Chalk.
So, what is Hallorann doing in Derry? In the trailer, we see Hallorann befriend a young family who have just moved to Derry, Maine, but he soon reveals that mysterious disappearances have occurred in the town years before. This younger version of Hallorann seems to have some psychic abilities too, as he warns, "something is coming."
However, Hallorann's appearance in the show is not surprising, as the character is mentioned in King's 1986 book IT, despite The Shining hitting shelves over a decade earlier. In IT, Hallorann is an army cook who worked at The Black Spot, a Black nightclub that will serve as a central location in Welcome to Derry. However, the club is later burned down by white supremacists. In an interview with TVInsider, director Andy Muschietti teased the upcoming scene, saying it's "a big paroxysm of violence" that reflects "the darkness of the story" and "the violence that happened in America."
When asked why he chose to bring Hallorann back, Muschietti said, "For us, it was a no-brainer. Dick was an outstanding character, not only because he’s in The Shining but also because [his] power is definitely ingrained in the story."
IT: Welcome to Derry premieres on October 26 on HBO and HBO Max in the US, and on October 27 on Sky and Now in the UK. For more, check out our list of the best HBO Max shows, and keep up with upcoming Stephen King movies and shows.
