IT prequel series WELCOME TO DERRY gets green light from HBO Max!

Here’s some great news coming out of HBO Max! The prequel series inspired by Stephen King’S It, Welcome to Derry, got the green light and is officially moving forward! I was really hoping this project would make it because it’s a great idea for a series!

The project was developed by the directors Andy Muschietti AND Barbara Muschietti (It, It Chapter Two) AND Jason Fuchs (It’s the second chapter, Wonder Woman).

The series is set in the world of King’s It universe and expands on the story established by Muschietti in the feature films It AND It’s the second chapter. Fuchs will write the first episode and also serve as showrunner Brad Caleb Kane. Muschietti will direct multiple episodes of the series, including the first episode.

King said in a statement: “I’m thrilled that the story of Derry, Maine’s most haunted city, is continuing, and I’m thrilled Andy Muschietti will oversee the spooky festivities, along with a brain trust that includes his talented sister, Barbara Red balloons all around!

Andy Muschietti and Barbara Muschietti said in a joint statement: ‘As teenagers, we took turns reading chapters of Stephen King’s work It until the thick paperback fell apart. It it is an epic story that contains multitudes, far beyond what we could possibly explore in our own It movie. We can’t wait to share the depth of Steve’s novel, in all his heart, humor, humanity and horror.”

Fuchs added, “To be able to return to the world of my all-time favorite horror novel and help build the singularly brilliant cinematic universe created by Andy and Barbara is more than the opportunity of a lifetime, it’s a dream that comes true—or, perhaps more appropriately, a nightmare.

There are no details to share regarding the story, but when previously discussing the mythology Muschietti said, “There’s a whole mythology in the book though… Mythology is something that always has opportunities to explore. It [aka Pennywise] it has been on Earth for millions of years. It has been in contact with humans for hundreds of years, every 27 years. So you can imagine the amount of material. It’s always exciting to think about eventually exploring this mythology. It’s very exciting. But, for now, there’s nothing on the table.”

There are some great terrifying stories to tell with this one! That shapeshifting alien creature has been around Derry killing people for a long time.

It came to Earth in a massive cataclysmic event similar to an asteroid impact, landing in a location in North America that would eventually become Derry, Maine.

Once people settled in this place, it adopted its usual 27-30 year hibernation pattern, waking up to kill and eat. Each awakening and return to hibernation is sometimes marked by a violent act, such as a mass murder or a weather event. Meanwhile, a series of child murders in Derry are never solved. It is outwardly explained that a series of murders, no matter how gruesome, go unreported if they happen in the small town. However, the real reason is that It’s influence prevents anyone from delving too deeply.

Here is the timeline for Itwhich features several stories that a prequel could explore:

• 1715 – 1716: IT wakes up painfully.

• 1740-1743: A three-year reign of terror begins culminating in the disappearance of over three hundred settlers from Derry Township (similar to the Lost Colony of Roanoke, founded as a logging town).

• 1769 – 1770: IT awakens again.

• 1851: IT awakes when a man named John Markson poisons his own family, then commits suicide by eating a nightshade mushroom, resulting in a gruesome death.

• 1876-1879: IT awakens, then reverts to hibernation after killing a group of woodsmen who were later found near Kenduskeag Creek.

• 1904: IT wakes up when a lumberjack named Claude Heroux kills a dozen men in a bar with a single axe. Heroux was promptly pursued by a mob of citizens and hanged.

• 1906: IT goes back into hibernation when the Kitchener Ironworks explodes, killing 108 people, 88 of whom were children during an Easter egg hunt.

• 1929: IT awakens when a group of Derry citizens ambush and kill the Bradley Gang, a group of thieves and murderers. The city, including its chief of police, pretends it never happened. However, a witness later tells the story to Mike Hanlon, including seeing a clown dressed as a farmer participating in the slaying.

• 1930: IT goes back into hibernation when the Maine Legion of White Decency, a northern counterpart of the Ku Klux Klan, burns down “The Black Spot”, a nightclub known for catering to African Americans at the nearby military base. IT appears on the spot as a giant bird with balloons on its wings.

I am insanely excited about this show and glad to see it moving forward!

Source: Deadline