Welcome to Derry coming to HBO Max

Just like Pennywise, the It prequel show isn't down for the count after being talked about for quite some time. Not only that, it's officially coming to HBO Max with a full series order.

Welcome to Derry is the working title for the prequel, which will be based on Stephen King's It horror classic but will expand upon director Andy Muschietti's most recent movie adaptations.

Muschietti and his sister Barbara, who produced 2017's It and 2019's It: Chapter Two, developed Welcome to Derry with Wonder Woman scribe and It: Chapter Two co-producer Jason Fuchs.

Muschietti, who also helmed the upcoming The Flash movie and horror film Mama, is planning to direct multiple episodes, including the premiere.

"As teenagers, we took turns reading chapters of Stephen King's It until the thick paperback fell to pieces," the Muschietti siblings said in a statement. "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."

Derry, Maine, is the town where the shapeshifting demon clown known as Pennywise stalked and killed local children for hundreds of years. It: Chapter Two visualized more of Pennywise's origin story, when the monster first arrived on earth.

Jaeden Martell, Finn Wolfhard, Sophia Lillis, Jack Dylan Grazer, Wyatt Oleff, Jeremy Ray Taylor, and Chosen Jacobs starred in the first film as members of the Losers' Club, the group of kids terrorized by Pennywise when it wakes from hibernation to hunt victims in Derry. The sequel saw James McAvoy, Bill Hader, Jessica Chastain, James Ransone, Jay Ryan, Stanley Uris, and Isaiah Mustafa play the kids' older selves, who return to Derry as adults to face Pennywise, portrayed by Bill Skarsgard, for the last time.

Sarah Aubrey, Head of Original Content at HBO Max, said in a statement that Welcome to Derry will "expand the It storytelling canvas and bring fans deeper into the terrifying, mesmerizing town of Derry."

"To be able to return to the world of my all-time favorite horror novel and help build upon the singularly brilliant cinematic universe created by Andy and Barbara is more than the opportunity of a lifetime, it's a dream come true — or, maybe more appropriately, a nightmare," Fuchs said.

Word of Welcome to Derry first emerged in March 2022 from a report by The Ankler. That June, writer Shelley Meals wrote in a since-deleted tweet that the writers' room had officially opened, but any official word on the matter remained elusive until now.

Executives at HBO Max have been exploring some kind of King-based prequel show for years. In 2020, there were plans set into motion for an Overlook Hotel series based on the world of The Shining and Doctor Sleep. That show was ultimately axed.

"I'm excited that the story of Derry, Maine's most haunted city, is continuing, and I'm glad Andy Muschietti is going to be overseeing the frightening festivities, along with a brain trust including his talented sister, Barbara," King himself remarked of Welcome to Derry. "Red balloons all around!"

However, filming was suspended in July 2023 due to the SAG-AFTRA strikes. Production is scheduled to resume in early 2024.