Maine is, in reality, a place. But in theory, it’s the main character in most of Stephen King‘s novels, probably because it seems like a mystical place with big trees and nobody minds that the town is filled with ghost clowns or a demonic Skarsgard (I have actually never been to Maine). But Maine, and Derry in particular, is the setting for a handful of King’s novels, like It, the worst title since the invention of SEO.
Welcome To Derry is Max’s upcoming prequel series based on the It franchise. It will be a direct prequel to 2017’s It and 2019’s It Chapter Two, starring Jaeden Martell, Sophia Lillis, Finn Wolfhard and — you’ll never believe it–the same Skarsgard! But in a different role. If you are not familiar with It (or learned just how hard it is to look up It) then here is a quick rundown.
In Derry, Maine, where kids often go missing, a group of pre-teens nicknamed “The Losers Club” are stalked by an evil clown/being while also facing their own inner demons, like puberty. The prequel is being developed by Andy Muschietti, who directed the two films based on King’s novel. The first installment covers the first half of the book, while Chapter Two brings in the adults, played by James McAvoy, Bill Hader, and Jessica Chastin, and of course, our demon friend Pennywise/Bill Skarsgard.
Now that you’re up to speed, here is everything we know about Welcome To Derry, which is not a Derry Girls sequel, unfortunately.
Plot
Even though Welcome to Derry takes place in the Stephen King-verse, King actually hasn’t written an It prequel, so this one isn’t based on a book. While we don’t have many details, according to Variety, the prequel will take place in the ’60s and tell the origin story of Pennywise the Clown and wherever he got that silly little outfit.
Cast
The confirmed cast includes Madeleine Stowe, Stephen Rider Taylour Paige, Jovan Adepo, Chris Chalk, and James Remar.
Release Date
The series initially had a Halloween 2024 release date, though it seems that has changed. Earlier this month, HBO confirmed that the show would be pushed to 2025, alongside The White Lotus. We do know that the first two episodes will be directed by Muschietti, so he is pretty familiar with the Derry area and all of its haunted inhabitants.
Trailer
While there has been no official trailer, HBO included a first look at the series in the 2024 preview, even though it will likely premiere in 2025…one can dream! From the first look trailer, you can see that Derry is still the number one place for red balloon sales in the US. You can watch below:
