HBO has released one final Red Band trailer for It: Welcome to Derry, further teasing the origins of Pennywise the Clown and how his reign of terror began in the show’s titular Maine town. The prequel series takes place in 1962, focusing on the period leading up to the events of Andy Muschietti’s two It films based on Stephen King’s 1986 horror novel. Bill Skarsgård reprises his role as the evil entity who feeds on fear, but it looks like he is ready to consume lots of time with his small screen outing. The first episode is set to premiere on Oct. 26, just in time for Halloween – though audiences should prepare for more tricks than treats. The trailer for It: Welcome to Derry (which can be viewed below) came packaged with a single word of warning on social media: “Run.” It is not difficult to see why, as the residents of Derry come up against an evil force that defies comprehension. The footage is splattered with blood, gore, and plenty of carnage, as it drops the first breadcrumbs of a story that aims to be closer in spirit to the original novel, building on the lore of the infamous clown while also addressing social matters that were part of American history in the ’60s. Fans of the franchise might feel a mix of excitement and trepidation about the show’s differing approach to the story, particularly as it is likely to be more character-driven and slower-paced than the films, but have no fear (or maybe an appropriate amount of fear based on the subject matter) because Stephen King himself has given It: Welcome to Derry the seal of approval. If audiences agree with his verdict, then Pennywise could have a formidable future on television, as there is already a clear roadmap for where the series could go next.
‘It: Welcome to Derry’ Has a Three-Season Plan

Muschietti has revealed that the hope is for It: Welcome to Derry to span three seasons, with each season set in a different era of Derry’s history, chronicling the events that unfolded during those time periods in reverse chronological order. He confirmed that the second season would jump back to 1935 and the third run of episodes would take place in 1908, aligning with Pennywise’s 27-year hibernation cycle. HBO is apparently eager to continue the series, wanting to start production on the sophomore season as soon as possible. It: Chapter One, released in 2017, and It: Chapter Two, which followed in 2019, were major commercial hits, pulling in a collective box office haul of $1.14 billion and landing plenty of praise from critics and audiences to boot. The first film landed an 85% critics score and an 84% audience approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes, while the second scored 62% on the Tomatometer and 78% on the Popcornmeter. The combined success of both indicates that audiences are not done clowning around yet, and there was perhaps some untapped potential in exploring the mythos of the horror entity that haunts Derry (and our nightmares) further.

Release Date

October 26, 2025

Network

HBO

Directors

Andy Muschietti