Fans are understandably eager to know more about the upcoming HBO Max series Welcome to Derry. It’s been stated that the new series will act as a prequel to the hit Warner Bros films IT: Chapter One and IT: Chapter Two. Beyond this, however, details have been scarce. Now a new report suggests some interesting new details for Welcome to Derry – including the potential return of actor Bill Skarsgård as Pennywise.
As revealed via The Illuminerdi, not only is Bill Skarsgård expected to return as Pennywise (though they note this has yet to be confirmed), they also shared some interesting Welcome to Derry casting details as well. They claim that “the production is searching for a Black, Male lead in their 30’s to play a patriotic Army man. He lives in Derry in the 1960’s, which is a hard life even before the nightmare of Pennywise.” Furthermore, they note that his character is eager “to bring people together in an unlikely time.” He’s further described as “a pilot” with “a major role” in the series.
Other casting details suggest that there will be “a group of young kids in a leading role.” Although we don’t know much about these kids, they “may resemble the Losers Club in It.” This could be an interesting way to recapture the tone and style of the hit films while still expanding the lore of Derry. Of course, given that Pennywise chooses to feed on kids, it makes sense that there’d be a new group to follow in this upcoming series. Hopefully we’ll have more clarification in the near future.
Jason Fuchs and Brad Caleb Kane will serve as co-showrunners on Welcome to Derry. They will also executive produce the IT prequel series alongside Andy Muschietti and Barbara Muschietti, who will executive produce under their Double Dream production banner.
Stay tuned to ScreenGeek for additional updates on the Welcome to Derry HBO Max series as we have them.