Is Welcome to Derry a Prequel to It?

HBO’s upcoming television series, It: Welcome to Derry, is one of the most anticipated horror projects of 2025. It is expected to take fans back in time and reveal the origins of the sinister clown Pennywise, who terrorized our main protagonists in the 2017 and 2019 movies. Stephen King’s terrifying universe is expanding. Before it drags the audience back into the nightmare, it’s obvious everyone wants to know if Welcome to Derry is a prequel to It Chapter One and Chapter Two.

Is It: Welcome to Derry a Prequel to It movies?

Yes, It: Welcome to Derry is the prequel that will finally delve deeper into the dark origins of Pennywise the Dancing Clown while also shedding light on Derry’s history. The story will be told in 3 seasons. And interestingly, each succeeding installment will be a prequel: Season 1 set in 1962, Season 2 in 1935, and Season 3 in 1908. In an interview, the Muschietti siblings, who co-executively produced the series, revealed that the first season will do the groundwork for Season 2.

Derry has been haunted by Pennywise for decades, and no one has ever discovered where it all began. So, It: Welcome to Derry will finally uncover the mysteries that remained unexplored until now. To add to the anticipation, the Muschettis also stated that the series’s opening scene will raise the stakes and hook viewers instantly.

The executive producers also say that whenever Pennywise comes out of hibernation, something really bad happens. So, if the origins are explored in a backward direction in the HBO series, there’s a significant reason for it.

Stephen King’s novel sees the ghostly clown returning after every 27 years to haunt and feed on the people of Derry. We get to know parts of the horror story in movies, but it makes no sense if the history remains unexplored. So, It: Welcome to Derry will finally allow us to witness the beginning of Derry’s endless cycle of horror.