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HBO Max has just dropped the first trailer for IT: Welcome to Derry, a new series that serves as a prequel to the 2017 It film and its 2019 sequel. This story takes place 27 years before the events in those movies, based on Stephen King’s 1986 novel It.
Bill Skarsgard is back as the terrifying Pennywise, the evil clown who feeds on children before disappearing for 27 years. The cast also includes Taylour Paige, Jovan Adepo, Chris Chalk, James Remar, Stephen Rider, Madeleine Stowe, and Rudy Mancuso.
The trailer starts with a kid walking alone on a cold, windy night. When a couple offers him a ride home, he quietly says his address is “Anywhere but Derry,” hinting at the town’s dark secrets. We then get sweeping shots of Maine in 1962, a family moving into a new house, and kids at Derry High School talking about classmates who have gone missing.
A woman’s voice warns, “Never a bad idea to keep the people you love close,” just before a chilling scene of a kid drowning in a lake. The trailer ends with a creepy glimpse of Pennywise, reminding viewers the nightmare is far from over.
IT: Welcome to Derry was developed by Andy Muschietti, Barbara Muschietti, and Jason Fuchs, all of whom worked on the original It films. In an interview, Andy and Barbara explained that the series focuses on new stories—based on the writings of Mike Hanlon—that explore the darker moments between the major events we already know.
They also said the show will dive deeper into themes like friendship and loss, but with a fresh angle on how fear itself can be used as a weapon—a topic that feels especially relevant today.