Summary
- Season 2 of IT: Welcome to Derry is reportedly greenlit before the release of season 1.
- The series, directed by Andy Muschietti, will explore Pennywise's origin story in episodes spanning different timelines.
- Welcome to Derry is set for release in October 2025 on HBO Max, promising the same intensity as the IT movies.
The anticipated new series IT: Welcome to Derry will return fans to Stephen King’s fictional horror-filled town of Derry in Maine once more, and even though season one of HBO's adaptation hasn't even been released yet, it's reported that season 2 is already in the bag with an expected filming date too.
Stephen King has had an array of adaptations of his novels that have made it to the screen, from Misery starring Kathy Bates to The Shining, but the most recent adaptations of IT, the 2017 film and IT: Chapter Two, are arguably some of the best. Directed by Andy Muschietti, who also helmed the IT duology, Welcome to Derry will be a prequel to the movies and also see the return of Bill Skarsgård as the terrifying killer clown Pennywise. Along with Skarsgård, Jovan Adepo, Chris Chalk, Taylour Paige and James Remar will join the cast, as well as Stephen Rider, known for playing Blake Tower in the Marvel Cinematic Universe series Daredevil. Although the original 1990 IT movie was shot in Pickering and Port Hope, Ontario, both of which are popular filming locations for small-town U.S. Shows, this time, many of the scenes for IT: Welcome to Derry were shot at the Delta Secondary School in Hamilton, Ontario. Throughout its nine episodes, the series will take place in 1962, aka the cycle before the one shown in the first IT film, and will flesh out Pennywise's origin story.
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IT: Welcome to Derry Season 2 Has Reportedly Been Greenlit
According to ScreenTime via X/Twitter, IT: Welcome to Derry has reportedly been renewed for a second season before viewers even get to watch the horror show's season 1, with filming getting underway in March 2026. The update apparently comes from the well-known leaker Daniel Richtman, who provides scoops through their subscription-based context on the social media platform, so it's not accessible for everyone to view. Bearing this in mind, the update should be taken with a pinch of salt as HBO has made no official announcement as yet, but if true, this is really great news for the horror-filled TV series, especially since fans won't be seeing season one for a few more months yet, cementing HBO's confidence in its initial outing being a hit with fans.
At the start of the year, Welcome to Derry's director, Andy Muschietti, revealed that the series would receive three seasons, with the first happening in the timeline of 1962, the second season set in 1935, and the third season in 1908. If now that season 2 is already greenlit, viewers will get to see the series being told backward, centering on a “catastrophic event” that occurs around the time of Pennywise’s re-emergence. Muschietti also mentioned that IT: Welcome to Derry will include the fire in the Black Spot, the massacre of the Bradley Gang, and the explosion of the Kitchener Ironworks.
Whether IT: Welcome to Derry season 2 has been renewed already or not, it's plain to see that this adaptation is being taken seriously. During the show's recent panel at San Diego Comic-Con, Welcome to Derry's co-creator, Barbara Muschietti, reassured fans that the HBO show would have "the same level of intensity and scariness" as the movies, while also revealing that she didn't think that some scenes would make it into the final cut, leaving fans to wonder what horror they are truly in for when the series arrives in time for Halloween.
IT: Welcome to Derry is scheduled for release in October 2025, streaming in its entirety on HBO Max.
IT: Welcome to Derry First Official Poster Gives a Closer Look at HBO's Stephen King Prequel Series
Based on Stephen King’s bestselling novel, HBO’s prequel series IT: Welcome to Derry receives its first official poster with new preview shots.
- Release Date
- October 26, 2025
- Network
- HBO
- Directors
- Andy Muschietti
- Writers
- Jason Fuchs, Stephen King, Austin Guzman
- Franchise(s)
- IT
WHERE TO WATCH
- Cast
- Taylour Paige, Jovan Adepo, James Remar, stephen rider, Matilda Lawler, Amanda Christine, Clara Stack, Arian S. Cartaya, Peter Outerbridge, Chris Chalk, Rudy Mancuso, Alixandra von Renner, Dmitry Chepovetsky, Eli Katz, Mark MacRae, Lochlan Ray Miller, Maya McNair, Maya Misaljevic, Hannah Storey, Thomas Mitchell, Chad Rook, Michael Koras, Robert Clarke, Brittany Spiteri, Sean Sansom
- Creator(s)
- Andy Muschietti, Barbara Muschietti, Jason Fuchs
Source: ScreenTime