The past is darker than we feared — and Pennywise is waiting.
Get ready to float again. HBO has just dropped the official teaser trailer for It: Welcome to Derry, the spine-chilling prequel series to the wildly successful It (2017) and It Chapter Two (2019) films. Set decades before the Losers’ Club ever faced the horrors beneath Derry, this new chapter dares to dig deeper into the nightmare that’s haunted generations.
Developed by It filmmakers Andy and Barbara Muschietti along with Jason Fuchs, It: Welcome to Derry expands Stephen King’s terrifying universe in a way that feels both familiar and freshly sinister. Set in 1962, the series is a slow descent into the origins of Derry’s evil — long before the red balloons and sewer grates became iconic symbols of fear.
And yes — Bill Skarsgård is officially back as Pennywise, reprising his haunting role that redefined cinematic horror in the 2010s. His return alone raises the stakes for this small-screen adaptation, bringing with it the eerie charisma and bone-chilling menace that made It a global phenomenon.
Backed by Warner Bros. Television, this nine-episode series features a powerful ensemble cast including Taylour Paige, Jovan Adepo, Chris Chalk, James Remar, Stephen Rider, Madeleine Stowe, and Rudy Mancuso. Andy Muschietti directs four episodes and co-executive produces, while Fuchs and Brad Caleb Kane serve as co-showrunners — signaling a tightly controlled creative vision steeped in lore, style, and psychological horror.
A Glimpse Into Derry’s Darkest Days
The teaser trailer sets the mood with an atmospheric build-up — 1960s Derry looks like small-town Americana on the surface, but that surface is paper-thin. As the trailer progresses, viewers are plunged into escalating dread: flickering lights, wide-eyed children, and ominous symbols of Pennywise’s coming. You don’t see much — but you feel everything. The tension is a masterclass in restrained horror.
But this isn’t just a nostalgic prequel. It’s an origin story rooted in destruction. Muschietti has confirmed that the show draws from the novel’s infamous interludes, exploring tragic, often forgotten events that mark each of Pennywise’s awakenings. Think the Kitchener Ironworks explosion, the Black Spot fire, and the Bradley Gang massacre — foundational lore that fans of the book have long wanted to see visualized.
Even more ambitious? If all goes well, the creators are aiming for three seasons, each diving deeper into Derry’s grim history — with Season 2 tentatively set in 1935 and Season 3 exploring 1908. In other words, It: Welcome to Derry could be just the beginning of an expansive, time-hopping horror anthology anchored by one of Stephen King’s most iconic villains.
Why This Matters
It: Welcome to Derry isn’t just a spooky series for Halloween binge-watching — it’s a cinematic event in serial form. It’s a sign of HBO’s commitment to prestige horror and a bold attempt to deepen a modern horror mythos. With its A-list cast, high production value, and literary source material, the series could carve out a legacy on par with The Haunting of Hill House and True Detective: Night Country. So buckle up. The circus is coming back to town — and this time, it’s bringing history with it.
Watch the teaser above and prepare to return to the place where nightmares are born. Because in Derry, every 27 years, evil awakens… and no one is safe.