HBOMax - It – Welcome to Derry : The New Trailer Brings Derry Back to Life

By Mulder, 23 september 2025

HBO has officially unveiled today the new trailer and poster for It: Welcome to Derry, a project that has been in the making for several years and now positions itself as one of the most anticipated horror events of the year. Set for release on October 26, 2025, the series brings back audiences to the cursed town of Derry, Maine, but this time much earlier than the story fans already know. The series, developed by Andy Muschietti, Barbara Muschietti, and Jason Fuchs, promises to deepen the mythology of Stephen King’s 1986 novel by exploring new timelines and hidden origins. The announcement feels like a logical continuation of the worldwide success of It (2017) and It Chapter Two (2019), both directed by Andy Muschietti, which collectively grossed over a billion dollars worldwide and renewed horror for a new generation of viewers.

The new trailer does not shy away from its ambition: shadows of 1960s America mingle with the eerie familiarity of small-town life in Derry, while the inevitable dread creeps in through the eyes of newcomers—a family settling into a community that seems charming at first glance, but quickly reveals its true nature. Longtime fans will immediately recognize the tonal palette and unsettling rhythm established in the films, now stretched into an episodic format. The choice of 1962 as the starting point is deliberate: it situates the series in an era where social turbulence mirrors the horror lurking beneath the surface, a theme that Stephen King has always excelled at framing. The trailer offers flashes of missing children, strange rituals, and of course, the menacing smile of Bill Skarsgård, returning as Pennywise the Dancing Clown, whose presence remains as disturbing as ever.

Production of It: Welcome to Derry itself became a story worth telling. The series was first reported as being in development in March 2022, with Andy Muschietti, Barbara Muschietti, and Jason Fuchs attached as executive producers. By November of that year, HBO Max had already issued a production commitment, signaling the studio’s confidence in the project. However, its journey was far from smooth. Filming began in May 2023 in Toronto, Hamilton, and Port Hope—locations that already doubled for Derry in the films—but was halted by the 2023 SAG-AFTRA strike. For a while, fans feared the project might stall indefinitely, but production successfully resumed and wrapped by August 2024. What makes this history particularly notable is that the series was shot under the working title Greetings from Fairview, an ironic disguise considering the town’s nightmarish reputation.

The cast is a blend of acclaimed performers and fresh faces, each carefully chosen to embody the new inhabitants of Derry’s twisted world. Jovan Adepo, Taylour Paige, Chris Chalk, James Remar, and Stephen Rider headline the main cast, supported by Madeleine Stowe in a recurring role and Rudy Mancuso in a significant part. The extended roster announced in 2025 includes Alixandra Fuchs, Kimberly Guerrero, Dorian Grey, Thomas Mitchell, BJ Harrison, Peter Outerbridge, Shane Marriott, Chad Rook, Joshua Odjick, and Morningstar Angeline, ensuring that the small-town tapestry feels fully lived in. Of course, the most anticipated casting was the confirmation in May 2024 that Bill Skarsgård would reprise his iconic role. His return not only guarantees continuity with the films but also secures a consistency of terror that audiences have come to expect.

Behind the camera, the creative team has remained faithful to the spirit of the original films. Jason Fuchs, who penned the script for It: Chapter Two, has written the pilot episode and shares showrunner duties with Brad Caleb Kane. Andy Muschietti directs several episodes, including the pilot, while both he and Barbara Muschietti produce through their Double Dream banner. Other executive producers include David Coatsworth, Shelley Meals, Roy Lee, and Dan Lin, all bringing extensive experience in balancing large-scale productions with character-driven storytelling. The score, entrusted once again to Benjamin Wallfisch, ensures the haunting musical continuity that helped define the unsettling mood of the films. His compositions, already etched in fans’ memories, promise to resonate across this new exploration of Derry.

What sets It: Welcome to Derry apart from being a simple prequel is the long-term vision revealed by Andy Muschietti earlier this year. He confirmed that the series is structured around three seasons, each unfolding in reverse chronology: 1962, then 1935, and finally 1908. This unusual narrative approach is not just stylistic but thematically linked to the cyclical nature of fear and Pennywise’s ancient curse. By going backward, the audience is drawn deeper into the roots of evil rather than merely following its consequences. It echoes the interludes of Stephen King’s original novel, which detailed the cyclical resurgence of the creature through Derry’s history. For fans who always craved more about the origin of Pennywise, this layered storytelling might finally provide the answers long hinted at but never fully revealed.

The premiere on October 26 is strategically placed just before Halloween, ensuring the show launches at the height of horror season. Eight episodes will make up this first season, airing weekly until December 15. This slower, episodic release is in sharp contrast to the binge-model of many streaming platforms, and in this case, it plays directly into the narrative design. Each week, viewers will be left to linger in Derry’s shadow, much like its residents who cannot escape the creeping dread. The promotional material, including the newly released poster, reinforces this atmosphere with a chilling visual symmetry: Pennywise’s sinister smile dominates, but it is the darkness surrounding the town that feels most threatening.

In many ways, It: Welcome to Derry is less a spin-off than a reclamation of what made the films resonate so deeply. The Muschiettis, alongside Jason Fuchs, appear committed to not only revisiting familiar fears but also expanding on them with richer historical and psychological layers. This is not a mere retelling, but a construction of an expansive mythology that stretches across decades. For horror fans, this is the rare promise of a television event that does not dilute its cinematic roots but instead amplifies them in a format that allows for deeper exploration. As October approaches, all eyes will once again turn to Derry, a town that seems idyllic only until you realize that its welcome hides something monstrous.

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 Muschiettin Barbara Muschietti, Jason Fuchs
Showrunners : Jason Fuchs, Brad Caleb Kane
Starring Taylour Paige, Jovan Adepo, Chris Chalk, James Remar, Stephen Rider, Madeleine Stowe, Rudy Mancuso, Bill Skarsgård
Composer : Benjamin Wallfisch
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 (United States) HBO MAX (France)