‘It’ Prequel Cast Revealed

Taylour Paige (Zola), Jovan Adepo (Watchmen), Chris Chalk (Perry Mason) and James Remar (Dexter) are heading to Derry, Maine to face off against evil killer clown Pennywise in Welcome to Derry, HBO Max’s upcoming IT prequel series. The streamer confirmed the casting news Wednesday, per Deadline. Details on their roles have not been revealed at this time. The actors are the first four cast members attached to the project, from Warner Bros. Television and It filmmakers Andy Muschietti and Barbara Muschietti.
 
HBO Max ordered Welcome to Derry straight to series in February. Acting as a prequel to the two films, based on Stephen King’s novel, “expands the vision established by filmmaker Andy Muschietti” in 2017’s IT and 2019’s It Chapter Two,” per the official logline. Further plot details are being kept under wraps. The two IT films, which split King’s mammoth novel about the terrorized residents of Derry, Maine, were big hits for Warner Bros., grossing a combined $1.17 billion. It was previously adapted into a two-part miniseries for ABC back in 1990.

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“As teenagers, we took turns reading chapters of Stephen King’s IT until the thick paperback fell to pieces. IT is an epic story that contains multitudes, far beyond what we could explore in our IT movies. We can’t wait to share the depths of Steve’s novel, in all its heart, humor, humanity and horror,” the Muschiettis said in a statement when the series was confirmed to be in the works, with Fuchs adding, “To be able to return to the world of my all-time favorite horror novel and help build upon the singularly brilliant cinematic universe created by Andy and Barbara is more than the opportunity of a lifetime, it’s a dream come true — or, maybe more appropriately, a nightmare.”
 
Published in 1986, IT runs well over 1,000 pages and follows a group of children in Derry, Main as they are terrorized by an evil entity that exploits the fears of its victims to disguise itself while hunting its prey. The book was first adapted as a two-part miniseries in 1990 featuring Tim Curry as Pennywise. After several failed attempts to bring the story to the big screen, Warner Bros. finally succeeded with Muschietti’s film, which was a critical and financial hit. It: Chapter Two was less successful, but earned positive reviews for its cast. Bill Skarsgard starred as Pennywise in both films.
 
Welcome to Derry, which is currently the working title for the upcoming prequel, is produced by HBO Max and Warner Bros Television. Fuchs will write the teleplay for the first episode, based on a story by Andy Muschietti, Barbara Muschietti and Fuchs. Fuchs will also serve as co-showrunner alongside Brad Caleb Kane. A premiere date has not been set.