HBO Max orders IT prequel series Welcome to Derry

Pennywise in It Chapter Two
(Image credit: Warner Bros)

HBO Max has given a series order to Welcome to Derry, a prequel series based on Stephen King's It.

Per the official logline, Welcome to Derry is set in the world of Stephen King's It universe, is based on King's It novel, and expands the vision established by filmmaker Andy Muschietti in the feature films It and It Chapter Two.

"As teenagers, we took turns reading chapters of Stephen King's 'It' until the thick paperback fell to pieces," said Andy and Barbara Muschietti, who are developing the series. "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."

According to Variety, Jason Fuchs is writing the teleplay for episode one, based on a story by him and the Muschiettis.

The two new It films, which starred Sophia Lillis, Finn Wolfhard, Bill Hader, James McAvoy, Jessica Chastain, and Bill Skarsgård as Pennywise, earned a combined $1.1. billion at the global box office – so the desire for a prequel series makes perfect sense. The novel was first adapted in 1990 in an ABC miniseries starring Seth Greene, John Ritter, Olivia Hussey, and Tim Curry as Pennywise.

Welcome to Derry does not yet have a release date. For more, check out our list of the best new TV shows coming your way in 2023 and beyond, or, check out our list of the best horror movies to add to your streaming queue. 

Lauren Milici
Senior Writer, Tv & Film

Lauren Milici is a Senior Entertainment Writer for GamesRadar+ currently based in the Midwest. She previously reported on breaking news for The Independent's Indy100 and created TV and film listicles for Ranker. Her work has been published in Fandom, Nerdist, Paste Magazine, Vulture, PopSugar, Fangoria, and more.