Pennywise actor Bill Skarsgard says he isn't involved in It prequel

(Image credit: Warner Bros)

Bill Skarsgård says he's "not currently involved" in It prequel series Welcome to Derry. Geared up to stream on HBO Max, the show is set to explore Pennywise the Dancing Clown's life in the early 1960s, and lead up to the events of 2017's It, which takes place over two decades later.

"We'll see what they come up with and what they do with it. I'm, as of now, not currently involved in it," the actor revealed during a recent interview with Jake's Takes. "And if someone else gets to do it, my advice would just be: do it your own, make it your own, have fun with it, you know what I mean? What I thought was so pleasurable about that character was how incredibly abstract he was."

In both Stephen King's novels and the movies, it's established that Pennywise, also known as It, awakens every 27 years to feed on youngsters in the fictional town of Derry, Maine. Skarsgård portrayed him in Andy Muschietti's It and its 2019 sequel, It Chapter Two.

Muschietti developed Welcome to Derry with his sister Barbara, and will act as executive producer alongside Barbara and Wonder Woman scribe Jason Fuchs. Last we heard, the latter was putting together a script, working from a story fleshed out by the trio. It's been reported previously that Muschietti is likely to direct the first episode.

As for Skarsgård, he can currently be seen in John Wick: Chapter 4, in which his character, the menacing Marquis de Gramont, goes toe to toe with Keanu Reeves' eponymous assassin.

I am an Entertainment Writer here at GamesRadar+, covering all things TV and film across our Total Film and SFX sections. Elsewhere, my words have been published by the likes of Digital Spy, SciFiNow, PinkNews, FANDOM, Radio Times, and Total Film magazine.