Welcome to Derry’ Ahead of HBO Max Premiere

Those of us who are looking forward to the impending arrival of IT: Welcome to Derry have received some massively positive news from none other than Stephen King himself. Taking to Threads to share his delight for the upcoming series, the legendary horror author praised the direction the HBO Max series has taken, writing, “WELCOME TO DERRY is amazing. First episode is terrifying.” Considering how he’s felt about past adaptations of his novels, this is the biggest stamp of approval that the project’s co-developers, Andy Muschietti, Barbara Muschietti, and Jason Fuchs, could ask for. With just about three weeks to go until the debut episode drops on October 26, King’s vote of confidence comes in ahead of reviews from critics and fans alike and paints a promising picture for the episodic telling.

For those completely out of the loop and living in a sewer, IT: Welcome to Derry will branch out from the stories that previously received on-screen adaptations via the 1990 Tim Curry-led It miniseries and Muschietti’s recent series of films that put Bill Skarsgård under the red wig and white facepaint of the titular otherworldly entity. Digging into the lore, the series will focus on other cycles that brought It, aka Pennywise the Clown, to the small town of Derry to feed on the fear of its residents.

Although none of your favorite members of The Losers’ Club are set to reprise their roles in the episodic series, Skarsgård will be back as the killer clown. Filling out the rest of the project’s ensemble cast is a lengthy lineup that includes names like Taylour Paige (The Toxic Avenger), James Remar (Dexter), Jovan Adepo (Babylon), Rudy Mancuso (Música), Chris Chalk (Perry Mason), Stephen Rider (What Lies Under the Tree) and Madeleine Stowe (The Last of the Mohicans).

‘IT: Welcome to Derry’s Long Shelf Life

If all goes as planned, Muschietti has plenty more IT: Welcome to Derry beyond the first set of episodes. During an interview a few months back, he teased the “catastrophic events” that happen every time Pennywise comes out of his hibernation and gets back into his business of killing. With these stories, the filmmaker believes he can deliver a solid three seasons to audiences, revealing,

We are basing the three seasons of this series on each of these catastrophic events. There’s a reason why the story is told backwards. So the first season is 1962, the second season is 1935, and the third season is 1908.”

Check out King’s Threads post above and see where the next chapter of the story begins when IT: Welcome to Derry arrives on HBO Max on October 26.


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Release Date

October 26, 2025

Network

HBO



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