HBO to Debut IT Prequel Welcome to Derry on Oct 26

HBO will debut IT: Welcome to Derry, a prequel series to the recent film adaptations of Stephen King’s novel IT, on Sunday, October 26, with episodes streaming on HBO Max at 9 p.m. ET/PT, the network said. The series brings Bill Skarsgård back as Pennywise the Dancing Clown and is set in 1962, decades before the events depicted in the 2017 and 2019 films.

The eight to nine episode run — outlets differ on the episode count — follows a newly arrived military family and a group of local children as a string of mysterious disappearances unsettles the small Maine town. The official trailer, released this month, shows the young protagonists prowling Derry’s streets and sewers and offers the first extended glimpse of Skarsgård’s Pennywise in the television series. Promotional material also includes the line "No use running. You’re already home," spoken in the trailer’s accompanying social posts.

Developed by filmmaker Andy Muschietti with producers Barbara Muschietti and Jason Fuchs, the project is produced by HBO in association with Warner Bros. Television. Fuchs wrote the teleplay for the first episode and serves as co-showrunner alongside Caleb Kane. Andy Muschietti will direct...