SAN DIEGO – Two hit “It” movies told much of the epic story of Stephen King’s seminal horror novel. Yet at 1,100-plus pages, there was still a lot left over for a TV series.
Director Andy Muschietti teams again with his sister (and fellow producer) Barbara Muschietti for the prequel “It: Welcome to Derry” (premiering in October on HBO and HBO Max). With a first season set in 1962, the show will plumb the tragic history of the cursed Maine town of Derry – told via interludes written by Losers Club historian Mike Hanlon in King’s book – plus feature the return of that evil clown Pennywise (Bill Skarsgård).
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On Saturday, July 26, during a Comic-Con panel for “Derry,” the Muschiettis premiered a new trailer, plus debuted the opening 10 minutes. A young boy gets caught sneaking into the movies and then tries to hitchhike out of Derry, too old to be sucking on a pacifier but needing it to calm himself. He’s picked up by a seemingly ordinary family heading to Portland, but the kid quickly realizes they’re headed back to Derry, these people are really weird, and the mom gives birth very graphically in the car to a demon baby with wings and two heads.
“The series is all like this,” Andy Muschietti warned afterward with a laugh. It was important to the team that even though the storytelling format changed, “we still have the same level of intensity and scariness,” Barbara Muschietti said.
Her brother added the show is actually more intense than the movies: “We got away with a lot and that’s the stuff you’ll be excited about.”
Andy Muschietti was “exhausted but excited” after directing the films, he said, and always fantasized about doing the origin story of how It became Pennywise. Plus, there were historical moments from the book mentioned in the movie – the burning of the Black Spot juke joint, the Bradley Gang massacre, the Kitchener Ironworks explosion – that were the basis to what Muschietti wanted to explore with an “It” show.
King was excited about the show, plus it was his idea for the series to go back in time to hit the 27-year cycles where Pennywise is unleashed. While the first season takes place in 1962, “Derry” could then move to 1935 and 1908 “in theory,” Andy Muschietti said. “There’s a reason why it goes backward and we can’t tell you why.”
The show’s characters will connect with those from the movies. Mike’s grandfather Leroy Hanlon (Jovan Adepo) is the main character of the first season, as he and wife Charlotte (Taylour Paige) move their family to Derry and quickly realize the place is seriously off. There are other parts of King canon as well: A Shawshank State Prison bus is seen in the trailer, and Dick Hallorann, a key character in “The Shining” who has a small role in the “It” novel, is a significant player in “Derry” as played by Chris Chalk.
“One of the most fascinating things about the book is the cryptic factor,” Andy Muschietti said. “You hear certain things, you get to the end of the book, but you don’t know what It is. We’re going to ruin all this. We’re unveiling all these mysteries, but with very good taste.”
And you can’t have “It” without Skarsgård, and his Pennywise is still quite unsettling.
“I got used to it. Barbie, not so much,” Andy Muschietti said. “The things he brings to this show are incredible.”
He says, “ ‘Let’s order some pizza,’ and I’m like, ‘I can’t look at you,’ ” Barbara Muschietti said. “It’s the eyes that get you.”
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: ‘It: Welcome to Derry’ prequel show unveils Comic-Con first look
