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Max Unveils First Look at ‘It: Welcome to Derry’ – The Dark Origins of Pennywise’s Town

Max Unveils First Look at 'It: Welcome to Derry' – First Look at the Dark Origins of Pennywise’s Town

Max released the first look images of its prequel series It: Welcome to Derry, providing a chilling glimpse into the origins of the eerie town of Derry before the arrival of the Losers’ Club. The series aims to delve into Derry’s dark past, focusing on various events like The Black Spot incident, where a nightclub serving Black patrons is attacked and burned down by white supremacists.

Developed by It filmmakers Andy and Barbara Muschietti alongside screenwriter Jason Fuchs, the show is set to premiere in 2025, with Andy Muschietti directing four of the nine episodes. Bill Skarsgård reprises his role as the iconic Pennywise, joined by an ensemble cast that includes Taylour Paige, Jovan Adepo, Chris Chalk, James Remar, Stephen Rider, Madeleine Stowe, and Rudy Mancuso.

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It: Welcome to Derry takes place in 1962, focusing on one of the recurring 27-year cycles of terror, reportedly revolving around the story of Will Hanlon, Mike’s father. This cycle centers on The Black Spot, a bar in Derry catering to Black residents, which becomes the target of a violent attack.

In Stephen King’s It, the second interlude depicts a hospitalized Will Hanlon recounting this horrifying tale to his son Mike. He describes how, decades earlier, he and his comrades had opened The Black Spot as a safe gathering place for Black patrons. One night, members of the Maine Legion of White Decency, a white supremacist group, swarmed the venue and set it ablaze, killing numerous people trapped inside. In the chaos, “It” appeared to Will as a giant bird, snatching a victim in its talons, revealing an earlier manifestation of the monstrous entity now tormenting the Losers’ Club.

This is just one story that Mike unearths as he attempts to track the It entity’s years-long reign of terror in Derry. Presented in King’s novel through the character’s research, these “interludes,” interspersed between the main storyline of Pennywise and the Losers’ Club, became the inspiration for It: Welcome to Derry, as shared in Entertainment Weekly’s exclusive first look at the nine-episode prequel series to 2017’s It and 2019’s It Chapter Two.

The recently released images offer a glimpse into the series’ atmosphere and characters. One notable photo features Jovan Adepo in an Air Force uniform labeled “Hanlon,” suggesting he portrays Will Hanlon. Another image shows Taylour Paige, potentially as Jessica Hanlon, Will’s future wife. Additional photos depict scenes from The Black Spot, hinting at its inclusion as a central setting in the series.

The series will revisit some aspects of Stephen King’s novel that didn’t make it to the big screen, further expanding on Derry’s dark lore. As one of horror’s most unsettling settings, It: Welcome to Derry offers viewers a deeper look into the evil that lurks beneath the surface, long before Pennywise’s familiar red balloons.

We previously shared the teaser trailer, which highlights the blood-chilling tone and suspense that audiences can expect, with a character ominously declaring, “This ain’t America. This is Derry.”

 

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