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HBO’s upcoming IT prequel, It: Welcome to Derry, will unveil the mysterious origins of the villainous, shapeshifting clown, shedding light on how It became Pennywise. Stephen King created one of the best villains of all time when he wrote the 1986 horror novel IT. Whether it be Tim Curry’s version or Bill Skarsgård’s version, the clown has haunted the nightmares of many a fan. Part of what makes It so terrifying is the mysterious nature of the creature.
However, HBO’s upcoming TV show will pull back the curtain in an exciting way. Screen Rant was present at the It: Welcome to Derry panel at San Diego Comic-Con 2025, where Andy and Barbara Muschietti promised to unveil the origins of Pennywise in the terrifying prequel show It: Welcome to Derry, which will debut in October 2025.
They discussed their process of collaborating with Stephen King on the TV show. The iconic horror author supported them in exploring the cycles of the clown, honing in on the interludes from the book. They emphasized that the show will lean into the lore of Pennywise established in the Stephen King book while also expanding it in exciting ways.
Andy Muschietti said this:
“How did It become Pennywise. It’s one of the mysteries in the book. They mention this character called Bob Gray. So the conversations were about that and how do we tell the story…[We’re] always respectful– there’s a line. Some mysteries remain. Some mysteries are created.”
This article covers a developing story. Continue to check back with us as we will be adding more information as it becomes available.
