After the success of IT: Chapter One and IT: Chapter Two, it only makes sense that Warner Bros would want to continue the property. While the events of Stephen King’s novel were mostly adapted for the two feature films, it seems like Warner Bros is reportedly eager to explore the property with a brand-new prequel series. Specifically, it appears that a HBO Max series titled Welcome to Derry is currently in development.
This news comes via Jeff Sneider of The Ankler, where he explained that the series would focus on Pennywise and his backstory.
As he stated:
“The series would likely explore the origin story of Pennywise the Clown as well as the dawn of the 27-year curse that haunts the small Maine town.”
However, he noted that aside from the formation of a writer’s room, the project is still in its very early stages. As such, it’s unknown if anyone involved from the feature films will return for this prequel series.
“There’s no word on whether anyone from either It movie will make an appearance. Nor is it clear that this show has been greenlit. But at this point, we can say that an honest to god writer’s room is being/has been convened for the project.”
But considering the immense popularity of the two films, Warner Bros will likely want to have this project ready to go while the iron is still hot. As such, we’ll probably see some updates on its development sooner rather than later. Fans can stay tuned to ScreenGeek for updates on those fronts as we have them. It’s definitely going to be a great time for fans of the brand.
Stephen King’s novel IT was first published in 1986, paving the way for a television miniseries in 1990. After years of development, the book was adapted again in 2017 as IT: Chapter One, with another film in 2019 adapting the other portion of Stephen King’s book.