Welcome to Derry: Bill Skarsgård to return as Pennywise for It prequel series

Bill Skarsgård is not done in Derry just yet. Per Deadline, Skarsgård will reprise his role as Pennywise for Welcome to Derry, the It prequel series for Max. Skarsgård will star in and executive produce the series. Skarsgård famously played It/Pennywise in 2017’s It and its sequel, 2019’s It Chapter Two.

In development since March 2022, Welcome to Derry was given the green light in February 2023. The series is set in the 1960s and will explore Pennywise’s origins as the evil shape-shifting clown that haunts the children of Derry. Welcome to Derry will consist of nine episodes.

Skarsgård joins a cast that includes Taylour Paige, Jovan Adepo, Chris Chalk, James Remar, and Stephen Rider. Madeleine Stowe will have a recurring guest role.

Skarsgård’s return is surprising, considering his previous comments about the series. During an interview with Jake’s Takes in March 2023, Skarsgård shared that he was not involved with the series. “As of now, I’m not currently involved with it,” Skarsgård said. “If someone else gets to do it, my advice would be: Do it your own. Make it your own. Have fun with it. What I found pleasurable about that character is how abstract he was.”

Andy Muschietti, the director of It and It Chapter Two, is one of the creative forces behind Welcome to Derry. Muschietti developed the series alongside his sister, Barbara, and producer Jason Fuchs. Muschietti will direct four episodes, while Fuchs will write the teleplay for the first episode. Fuchs and Brad Caleb Kane serve as co-showrunners.

It is based on Stephen King’s 1986 bestselling novel of the same name. It and It Chapter Two were massive hits at the box office, combining to gross over $1.17 billion worldwide.

Welcome to Derry streams on Max in 2025.