Pennywise the Clown may have been defeated back in 2019 in IT, but you don’t have to wait 27 years for him to come back.
Word from The Ankler is that HBO Max is currently working on a series that will focus on the origins of Pennywise and why he’s haunting the little town of Derry, Maine. The working title of the show is said to be Welcome to Derry, but so far, that’s the only thing we know about the series.
It isn’t clear if HBO Max has given the show a greenlight, but the source does say that the show has gone far enough as to put together a writer’s room.
While the origins of Pennywise are a mystery in the films, the books are very clear about him being a shapeshifting alien. We don’t know if the series will actually keep to the original IT lore, but I think the entire mystery behind the character is ultimately what makes him scarier.
With the success of series like Stranger Things, I think it would be great if they managed to get that same kind “horror for kids” energy for this prequel series—then again, it would risk making the show feel incredibly redundant. Hopefully the writer’s room can find a different angle in bringing Pennywise back. What if he was actually a friendly alien that evolves into the fear-eating monster? Too edgy? It’s just one pitch.
An IT prequel hasn’t been officially announced.
