HBO's It prequel series Welcome to Derry could end up running for three seasons if all goes according to plan, according to Andy Muschietti, who directs and leads the series alongside Barbara Muschietti and Jason Fuchs.
Speaking on Argentina's Radio TU, Muschietti revealed that the series, which sees Bill Skarsgård return to his role as a “hardcore” Pennywise the Clown, will follow three distinct eras corresponding to “catastrophic events” from the history of the eponymous town, as detailed in Stephen King's original novel.
Muschietti expands (with thanks to Bloody Disgusting for the translation):
It’s a story that’s based on the interludes of the book. The interludes are basically chapters that reflect Mike Hanlon’s research. They’re fragments of his research. For 27 years, it’s the guy trying to figure out what it is, what did it, who did it, who saw it, and all that stuff.
So they talk about catastrophic events from the past, like the fire in the Black Spot…. the massacre of the Bradley Gang, a gang of bank robbers in the ’30s… and the explosion of the Kitchener Ironworks […] Every time Pennywise comes out of hibernation, there is a catastrophic event that happens at the beginning of that cycle.We are basing the three seasons of this series on each of these catastrophic events.
The It and It: Chapter Two director adds that Warner Bros. are “very interested” in making the second season as soon as possible, which would hop back in time from Season 1:
There’s a reason why the story is told backwards. So the first season is 1962, the second season is 1935, and the third season is 1908.
Joining Skarsgård in It: Welcome to Derry are Taylour Paige (Zola, Ma Rainey's Black Bottom), Jovan Adepo (Babylon, Watchmen), Chris Chalk (Perry Mason, Godzilla vs. Kong) and James Remar (Creepshow, Oppenheimer).
