'IT: Welcome to Derry' confirms October 26 release date as Pennywise prequel series details revealed

'IT: Welcome to Derry' will premiere on October 26 with nine episodes exploring Pennywise’s origins in 1962.

The highly anticipated prequel series IT: Welcome to Derry has confirmed its release date, with the show set to premiere on Sunday, October 26, exclusively on HBO Max.

Based on Stephen King’s 1986 novel IT, the series explores the origins of Pennywise the Clown and the events that shaped the fictional town of Derry before the storylines seen in IT: Chapter 1 and IT: Chapter 2. The first season will be set in 1962 and consist of nine episodes.

Bill Skarsgård will reprise his role as Pennywise, a performance that helped define the recent film adaptations. Speaking on the Happy Sad Confused podcast, Skarsgård said audiences will see “old Pennywise that we haven’t seen,” adding, “It’s pretty hardcore, man. It’s not the G-rated Pennywise.”

The series is created by Andy Muschietti, director of the two IT films, who revealed plans for three seasons. Each would focus on a different time period linked to Pennywise’s appearances, inspired by the “interludes” of King’s novel that document the clown’s cyclical re-emergence in Derry.

Muschietti explained, “Every time [Pennywise] comes out of hibernation, there is a catastrophic event that happens at the beginning of that cycle.”

The first season aligns with the adjusted timeline from Muschietti’s films, moving the Black Spot fire to 1962. If the series continues, later seasons may explore the Bradley Gang Massacre of 1935 and the Kitchener Ironworks explosion of 1908.

Joining Skarsgård in the cast are Taylour Paige (Zola), Jovan Adepo (Watchmen), Chris Chalk (Perry Mason), and James Remar (Dexter). Executive producers include Andy and Barbara Muschietti alongside Jason Fuchs, with Fuchs and Brad Caleb Kane serving as co-showrunners.

Trailers released throughout 2025 have offered glimpses of the dark tone and new characters, with HBO Max expected to release one final preview ahead of the October premiere.