Summary
Thetrailer for HBO Max’s prequelIT: Welcome to Derryis here, and it promises all the hallmarks of the classic, creepy, and funStephen Kingstory. Whilethe infamous small town of Derry, Maine is still the main setting, the series takes place in 1962, and follows a family who has just moved there. As a group of kids investigates some strange disappearances, they learn about the legend of Pennywise, and the iconic villain memorably appears at the very end of the trailer.
As fans anticipate the release ofMike Flanagan’sThe Life of ChuckandThe Long Walk, which will be in theaters in June and September 2025, they’re also curious aboutIT: Welcome to Derry. Now that they’ve watched the trailer, fans have some strong opinions about the prequel, and they’ve noticed one particular concern.
Stephen King Fans Are Worried IT: Welcome To Derry Is Too Similar To IT: Chapter One And Two
After watching the trailer forIT: Welcome to Derry, fans shared their thoughts onReddit, and many were disappointed and underwhelmed. The consensus? Based on the trailer, fans don’t think the prequel will cover enough events from the book, and they think it feels too much like the two movies,IT: Chapter OneandIT: Chapter Two, which were released in 2017 and 2019. Redditor @RebeccaOTool wrote:
“There’s SO MANY things they could have explored, the Ironworks explosion, or what I was led to believe this season was covering, the fire at the Black Spot. But no, they’re just trying to remake the movie AGAIN.”
Redditor @slowrevolutionary wrote:
“this just looks like…IT but with different kids and some “Smile” adults. I was kinda excited but now I’m not. Am I missing something??”
Redditor @ChaoticDumpling shared a similar sentiment:
“I was excited at the start of the trailer, but the more it went on, the more it just felt like…exactly the same?”
Another fan shared that they wish the series included"the historical reference points throughout the book"such as"the ironworks, the shootout, and all the other ill-fated events that lead up to the final showdown with Pennywise."
Scenes like the Black Spot fire may still be included inIT: Welcome to Derry, even if they were excluded from the trailer. However, fans would have liked to see some of these scenes in the trailer since it would show them what they can expect. Although fans lovewatching many Stephen King adaptationsand will definitely check out the prequel series, it’s too bad that some don’t feel all that excited after seeing this footage.
Although the chance to seethe terrifying clown Pennywiseis always welcomed,IT: Welcome to Derrywill satisfy fans if itincludes book references, shares more of Pennywise’s history, and stands out from the two previous movies. Otherwise, another story about kids who are equally scared of and also determined to stop a clown in an eerie small town doesn’t feel necessary. Since it’s a prequel,Welcome to Derryneeds to dive deep into who Pennywise is and how they came to be, or it could disappoint viewers. Since the show has a three-season plan and every season will take place in the past, there’s still a lot of time forWelcome to Derryto cover all the ground King fans want. But it makes sense that they wanted to see more from the trailer.
What Did Stephen King Say About IT: Welcome To Derry?
In 2022, Stephen King appeared onBloody Disgusting’s The Losers' Club Podcastand mentioned that the prequel seriesIT: Welcome to Derrywas in the works. He said:
“It’s an interesting possibility to do that. They talked about a prequel. Which struck me as an okay idea. I’d love to see what Pennywise was up to 27 years before the ’50s. Or, I guess it would be the ’80s, because they updated the [setting]. So it would be, you know, before World War 2 or something. It’ll be interesting to see what will happen with that.”
Later, executive producer Andy Muschietti shared thatKing approved the first draft of the prequel,which is good to hear.
According toTV Line,IT: Welcome to Derryseason 1 will have nine episodes, and it will arrive in fall 2025. However, at the time of this writing, there is no release date.
