A new trailer for IT: Welcome to Derry has been released following a panel at the San Diego Comic-Con yesterday evening, and it teases a sinister, demonic force in the small town, which may be there in addition to Pennywise.
Once again, we see very little of Bill Skarsgård's killer clown, an indication perhaps that his screentime will be fairly limited. That or HBO Max is simply looking to keep the iconic monster and his role in this story under wraps (ensuring there are plenty of surprises for horror fans).
It's also been confirmed that IT: Welcome to Derry will premiere this October, meaning we should return to Derry in time for Halloween.
The series, from Warner Bros. Television and developed for television by filmmakers Andy Muschietti and Barbara Muschietti (IT, The Flash) and Jason Fuchs (Wonder Woman), will debut on HBO and also be available to stream on Max. Muschietti will direct four episodes of the nine-episode series.
Skarsgård previously described Welcome to Derry as being "pretty hardcore," and admitted he had some hesitancy about reprising what has become perhaps his most iconic role.
"I felt like I was done with it, in a way. It was also because I was shooting this [Nosferatu], I was doing Orlock, and, to me, it just felt like, 'This is the nail in the coffin of my monster roles,'" he explained. "So I did feel I was kind of over it and wanted to do different things. Of course, the Pennywise thing as well, I’ve been quite defined by it. I was like, 'That’s 26-year-old me.' I’m not still a young man."
"Then things changed. Barbara and Andy, the Muschiettis, are doing it. I love them. They’re very close friends. Family, even. I’m the godfather of his son. So, I love them, and that was, 'Alright, let’s bring him back.'"
Skarsgård added, "It was fun. I enjoyed it more than I thought I would, actually. There are parts of it where we got to explore sides of ‘ole Pennywise that we haven’t seen, and that’s fun. I remembered how much I enjoyed working with Andy, and we do have a lot of fun together. I think there’s some cool stuff in there that we haven’t seen that I’m excited for the people to watch and enjoy, hopefully."
Set in the world of Stephen King's IT universe, IT: Welcome to Derry is based on King's IT novel and expands the vision established by filmmaker Andy Muschietti in the feature films IT and IT Chapter Two.
The cast is led by Taylour Paige, Jovan Adepo, Chris Chalk, James Remar, Stephen Rider, Madeleine Stowe, Rudy Mancuso, and Bill Skarsgård.
Produced by HBO and Warner Bros. Television, with a story by Andy Muschietti, Barbara Muschietti, and Jason Fuchs, IT: Welcome to Derry is based on the novel IT by Stephen King.
Andy Muschietti and Barbara Muschietti (through their Double Dream production company), Jason Fuchs, Brad Caleb Kane, David Coatsworth, Bill Skarsgård, Shelley Meals, Roy Lee, and Dan Lin are executive producers. Fuchs, who wrote the teleplay for the first episode, and Kane serve as co-showrunners on the project.
IT: Welcome to Derry will premiere on HBO Max this October.