Development The idea of making a prequel series about Bob Gray's
origin story and how he became
Pennywise came to their mind during the filming of
It Chapter Two (2019), which
Andy Muschietti called "one of the big enigmas" that serves to generate tension in the book. In March 2022,
Variety reported that Andy,
Barbara Muschietti and
Jason Fuchs were developing and serving as executive producers of a prequel television series of the film
It (2017) for
HBO Max, titled
Welcome to Derry. It was to take place in the 1960s before the events of the film. It received a production commitment in November 2022, and Fuchs and
Brad Caleb Kane were hired as co-showrunners. The series was given a
greenlight in February 2023, with Andy Muschietti directing multiple episodes, including the pilot written by Fuchs.
Bill Skarsgård serves as an executive producer. John Bear Mitchell of the
Penobscot Nation served as a consultant during development. This included advising producers on effective depiction of Wabanaki culture and history and actors on appropriate accents as well as other appropriate historic depictions. According to Mitchell, "I wanted the native people in there to be active protectors, for people to know they were managing the evil with ancestral knowledge." In January 2026, it was announced that a second season is in the works, pending to be greenlit. Following speculation about the delay in the second season renewal,
HBO head Casey Bloys mentioned that it was due to the time it takes to find the right story, since there's no "book that you're basing it on," but that it is not in limbo and will be made with the right story. In March 2026, Barbara confirmed that the season would happen and explained that the greenlight would only be given once the right story is ready. She added that it hasn't been officially announced yet because studios usually make advance announcements to "declare their confidence" in a show, which isn't necessary for this series.
Writing In a January 2025 interview with Radio TU, Andy Muschietti revealed details about the source material and longer-term plans. He said that the series is based on interlude chapters from the
It novel, noting that "there's a reason why the story is told backwards." Muschietti mentioned that with the first season they are only "opening a window" of the story and that it will really "manifest" in the second and third seasons. The series will also focus on why Pennywise stays in
Derry when he could go "somewhere else" and how he takes advantage of children because adults do not understand what happens to them. Executive producer
Jason Fuchs said that the plan, apart from revealing the origin of Pennywise, is also the origin of the "cursed town". For Fuchs, Derry is also the entity "in many ways" because Pennywise "actually predates Derry". If given the opportunity, the planned seasons would leave a "different understanding of the creature, the town's rules, and what motivates It". Andy stated that the second season will be set in 1935 and will focus on the Bradley Gang massacre and the
Great Depression in Derry, introducing new characters and younger versions of characters from the first season. Andy mentioned that there would be a lot of Depression-era themes, with children smoking or missing teeth due to the hardships of the time.
Casting reprises his role as
Pennywise from the films. In April 2023,
Jovan Adepo,
Chris Chalk,
Taylour Paige, and
James Remar joined the cast in starring roles.
Stephen Rider joined as a series regular and
Madeleine Stowe as a recurring guest. In May 2024, Bill Skarsgård was cast to reprise his starring role as Pennywise. The following month, Alixandra Fuchs,
Kimberly Norris Guerrero, Dorian Grey, Thomas Mitchell, BJ Harrison,
Peter Outerbridge, Shane Marriott,
Chad Rook,
Joshua Odjick, and Morningstar Angeline were cast in recurring capacities. In July,
Rudy Mancuso was cast in a recurring role.
Filming Principal photography began in
Toronto,
Hamilton and
Port Hope in May 2023, with the shooting title
Greetings from Fairview, and was expected to continue through December. Scenes were shot at the
Delta Secondary School. In mid-July 2023, production was suspended due to the
SAG-AFTRA strike. In August 2024, it was reported that production on the series had concluded, and the series title,
It: Welcome to Derry, was announced. Barbara Muschietti revealed the difficulty of returning to film the series with the child cast after the 2023 Hollywood strikes because they were "in a state of spontaneous growth". She estimated that "90% of three episodes" were filmed before production shut down and they had to come back to work in a different season and climate. "This is a summer show", she noted, "but suddenly it wasn't a summer show any more. We had to create a different finale with a different climate".
Music In May 2025, it was reported that
Benjamin Wallfisch, the composer of the films, would score the series. Four volumes of the soundtrack were released to streaming platforms from November to December 2025: The first volume, consisting of music from the first two episodes, on November 2; the second volume of music from the third and fourth episodes on November 17; The third volume of music from the fifth and sixth episodes on December 1; and the fourth volume on December 15, containing the music from the final two episodes. ==Marketing==