Pennywise Might Be Coming to TV to Haunt Your Dreams All Over Again

Pennywise could be heading to the small screen—and we're not clowning around. A prequel series based on It is in development at HBO Max. Read the latest details here, if you dare.

By Daniel Trainor Mar 30, 2022 1:53 AMTags
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Be on the lookout for suspicious red balloons. 

HBO Max is developing a series based on It, which would feature the origin story of Pennywise the Clown, according to Variety

The series, tentatively titled Welcome To Derry, would start in the 1960s and build to the events of the 2017 film It: Chapter One, which starred Bill Skarsgard as Pennywise.

An origin story about a clown. Doesn't sound terrifying at all!

Andy Muschietti, who directed It: Chapter One and It: Chapter Two in 2019, is named as executive producer alongside Barbara Muschietti and Jason Fuchs.

According to Variety, the Muschiettis and Fuchs developed the story, with the former directing the first episode. Fuchs, who wrote the story for 2017's Wonder Woman, is penning the script.

The two It movies, based on the 1986 book by Stephen King, made over $1.1 billion at the worldwide box office and introduced an entire new era of fans to the town of Derry, Maine, and the haunting presence of Pennywise. 

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2022 TV Premiere Dates

Chapter One was set in the summer of 1989, which would give us plenty of time to understand how Pennywise became Pennywise.

Pennywise in elementary school? Pennywise playing Little League? Pennywise at the church bake sale? The possibilities are endless!

The series would be the latest example of HBO Max expanding on an existing film franchise.

On March 8, the streamer announced plans for a series based on notorious Batman villain Penguin. The series will star Colin Farrell, who played Penguin in 2022's The Batman, and further show his rise through the seedy ranks of Gotham.

Vertigo/Warner Bros/Kobal/Shutterstock

While we wait on official word on Pennywise's return, we're going to start sleeping with the lights on. 

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