HBO’s IT Prequel Is Officially Changing Pennywise In Major Stephen King Series Update
Grant Hermanns is a TV News Editor, Interview Host and Reviewer for ScreenRant, having joined the team in early 2021. He got his start in the industry with Moviepilot, followed by working at ComingSoon.net. When not indulging in his love of film/TV, Grant is making his way through his gaming backlog and exploring the world of Dungeons & Dragons with friends.
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Pennywise is coming back with a few changes in IT: Welcome to Derry season 2.
The HBO series, developed by the Muschiettis and former co-showrunner Jason Fuchs, serves as a prequel to the recent film duology and Stephen King's classic 1986 novel, with season 1 set in the eponymous town in 1962 as the town finds itself under attack from the titular killer clown. Scoring rave reviews and solid viewership, IT: Welcome to Derry season 2 spent months in quiet development before finally being greenlit in August 2026.
During an interview with Deadline for his new series Crystal Lake, Brad Caleb Kane offered an update on IT: Welcome to Derry season 2. The showrunner confirmed that, following the official greenlight from HBO, the prequel series is moving along at a steady pace, describing the next season as "bigger" than its debut while also teasing that Pennywise is officially getting some changes as he'll be shown in "a way you've never seen that character before":
Brad Caleb Kane: We’re writing the scripts. We’re about halfway through the writing of the scripts. We have a production schedule, we’re greenlit for season 2, and Andy Muschietti’s out there casting.
Developing...
- Release Date
- October 26, 2025
- Network
- HBO
- Directors
- Andy Muschietti
- Writers
- Jason Fuchs, Stephen King, Austin Guzman
- Franchise(s)
- IT
-
Charlotte Hanlon
-
Jovan Adepo
Leroy Hanlon
It: Welcome to Derry serves as a prequel to the 2017 film It, exploring the sinister history of Derry, Maine. Set in 1962, the series follows a family that relocates to the town amidst unsettling occurrences and the mysterious disappearance of a young boy.
- Main Genre
- Horror
- Creator(s)
- Andy Muschietti, Barbara Muschietti, Jason Fuchs
- Executive Producer(s)
- Andy Muschietti, Bárbara Muschietti, Bill Skarsgård, Brad Kane, Dan Lin, Jason Fuchs, Roy Lee, David Coatsworth, Shelley Meals
- Producers
- Anna Beben, Cherie Dimaline, Sarah Rath
- Seasons
- 1
KioskNews shows a cleaned-up reading view extracted from the publisher’s page — the original always lives on their site, not ours.