Convention - SDCC 2025 : It: Welcome to Derry – HBO Max to Haunt SDCC 2025 with Chilling Fan Experiences and an Exclusive Glimpse into Pennywise’s Origins

By Mulder, 11 july 2025

This July at San Diego Comic-Con 2025, HBO Max will unleash one of its most immersive and spine-tingling fan experiences yet, built entirely around the upcoming horror series It: Welcome to Derry. Anticipation is already sky-high for this prequel to the modern It film adaptations, and Warner Bros. Television is set to dominate the streets of downtown San Diego with a series of themed events designed to lure fans directly into the haunted heart of Derry, Maine. From July 25 through July 26, Pennywise-inspired pedicabs will cruise through the Gaslamp Quarter, the Convention Center perimeter, and the Harbor area, offering free rides and eerie encounters. Brand ambassadors will distribute chilling treats, teasing the unsettling tone of the show. The centerpiece of the activation will take place on Saturday, July 26, when fans will be treated to a sneak peek at the series' premiere episode—presented in person by Andy Muschietti and Barbara Muschietti. That exclusive event, scheduled for 9:15 p.m. in Room 6DE at the San Diego Convention Center, will also feature a teaser trailer reveal and free ice cream—an oddly wholesome pairing that will likely contrast with the nightmare fuel glimpsed on screen. All activities will be available on a first-come, first-served basis, and fans are already gearing up to queue early.

It: Welcome to Derry is shaping up to be more than just a television prequel—it’s poised to become a central piece of HBO's horror legacy. Developed by Andy Muschietti, Barbara Muschietti, and Jason Fuchs, the series takes place in the 1960s and will dig deep into the terrifying lore of Stephen King’s novel, including the twisted origins of Pennywise the Clown. For those familiar with the two-part film saga that began in 2017, this new project promises to enrich that mythology with layered timelines and previously unexplored horrors. The show has been granted an ambitious structure from the outset, with Andy Muschietti confirming that three seasons are planned, each set in a different decade—beginning in 1962, then reaching back to 1935 and 1908. He also hinted at the thematic logic behind this reverse chronology, teasing the idea that the deeper fans go into Derry’s past, the more disturbing the truth becomes.

Slated to premiere in late 2025, It: Welcome to Derry will consist of nine episodes and star Jovan Adepo, Chris Chalk, Taylour Paige, James Remar, and Stephen Rider, with Bill Skarsgård reprising his now-iconic role as Pennywise the Clown. In addition to returning as the face of terror, Bill Skarsgård will also serve as an executive producer—a move that underscores the show’s commitment to continuity and quality. The executive team, a horror powerhouse ensemble, includes Jason Fuchs, Brad Caleb Kane, Andy Muschietti, Barbara Muschietti, Shelley Meals, Roy Lee, Dan Lin, and David Coatsworth. Co-showrunners Jason Fuchs and Brad Caleb Kane are guiding the narrative, with Jason Fuchs also penning the teleplay for the premiere. Andy Muschietti, who directed the first four episodes, brings his visually intense and emotionally layered style from the films directly into the series—ensuring tonal fidelity and cinematic storytelling.

Behind the camera, production took place across Toronto, Hamilton, and Port Hope, Ontario—the latter famously doubling as Derry in the original films. Shot under the working title Greetings from Fairview, the production began in May 2023 and wrapped in August 2024 following a brief halt during the SAG-AFTRA strike. Locations like Delta Secondary School were repurposed to create an atmosphere of mid-century American innocence eroded by supernatural malevolence. The casting also includes a rich ensemble of recurring actors like Madeleine Stowe, Alixandra Fuchs, Kimberly Guerrero, Dorian Grey, Thomas Mitchell, BJ Harrison, Peter Outerbridge, Shane Marriott, Chad Rook, Joshua Odjick, Morningstar Angeline, and more recently Rudy Mancuso, each adding depth to this chronicle of a town slowly unraveling.

What makes It: Welcome to Derry especially promising isn’t just its pedigree—it’s the sheer scope of its ambition. While earlier adaptations of Stephen King’s It have focused primarily on the children-versus-monster narrative, this series will reportedly draw from the novel’s “interlude” chapters. These sections provide glimpses into the cyclical evil that plagues Derry across decades, often surfacing in strange incidents of mass violence, disappearances, and unspoken town-wide trauma. By focusing on this material, the series opens a window into the haunted psychology of a town shaped by fear, prejudice, and violence—and the eternal return of its greatest predator. The creative decision to start the story in 1962, at the peak of American postwar optimism, promises a striking contrast between sunny façades and dark undercurrents.

With so much riding on its shoulders, HBO Max is betting big on It: Welcome to Derry, and the SDCC 2025 rollout makes that abundantly clear. According to Pia Barlow, Executive Vice President of Originals Marketing at HBO and HBO Max, “These immersive experiences are designed to bring fans closer to the series they love”—and judging by the social media buzz already surrounding the activation, the strategy is paying off. Fans aren’t just being sold a series; they’re being invited into a world, one haunted alley at a time. In a convention filled with splashy announcements and high-budget panels, HBO Max's hands-on, scare-you-where-you-stand approach is bound to be remembered long after the ice cream has melted.

As the teaser trailer debuts and whispers of the pilot episode begin to circulate among attendees, the legacy of Derry begins to unfold once more—backwards through time, and straight into the hearts of horror lovers. With the combined talents of Andy Muschietti, Barbara Muschietti, Jason Fuchs, Bill Skarsgård, and a powerhouse cast and crew, It: Welcome to Derry looks set to take viewers far beyond the sewer grates and into the poisoned soul of a town forever cursed.

It: Welcome to Derry Sneak Peak : 
Date: Saturday, July 26
Time: 9:15pm - 9:45pm
Location: San Diego Convention Center, Room 6DE
111 Harbor Dr, San Diego, CA 92101

Synopsis : 
Strange events unfold in the town of Derry in the 1960s involving Pennywise the clown, a mysterious character who haunts Derry.

It: Welcome to Derry
Based on It by Stephen King
Developed by Andy Muschietti, Barbara Muschietti, Jason Fuchs
Showrunners : Jason Fuchs, Brad Caleb Kane
Starring  Jovan Adepo, Chris Chalk, Taylour Paige, James Remar, Stephen Rider, Bill Skarsgård
Executive producers : Jason Fuchs, Brad Caleb Kane, Andy Muschietti, Barbara Muschietti, Shelley Meals, Roy Lee, Dan Lin, Bill Skarsgård
Production companies : HBO, Warner Bros. Television, Double Dream
Network : HBO

(Source : press release)