Stephen King published his groundbreaking horror novel It in 1986, and it became a major cultural phenomenon, blending horrifying supernatural elements with a deeply human coming-of-age story. The novel became the top-selling hardcover fiction book in the U.S. in 1986 and won many awards, including the prestigious British Fantasy Award. Since its creation, It has been retold on the screen with a variety of adaptations. Now, HBO's record-breaking adaptation has returned with a special release.
HBO has dropped a surprising episode of It: Welcome to Derry titled "A Story of Derry" just in time for Halloween. The 30-minute Halloween special follows three children who venture into the Western Wood and encounter an ancient, terrifying spirit. It: Welcome to Derry has already been renewed for season 2 and, at the time of writing, has no official release date from HBO. It is currently in the works, with King's grandson, Ethan King, joining the writers' room.
The episode also introduces a never-before-seen entity known as Maturin the Turtle, which is a huge benevolent cosmic deity introduced King's shared multiverse appearing in It and referenced throughout The Dark Tower series. He is known as one of the Twelve Guardians of the Beams and is Pennywise's ultimate nemesis, representing creation, wisdom and peace, while Pennywise represents chaos, fear, and destruction. It's unclear if this is the start of Maturin's journey in Welcome to Derry leading into season 2.
Showrunner Brad Caleb Kane has been discussing what to expect in It: Welcome to Derry season 2 as it's currently in development and expected to begin filming sometime in 2027. Kane has teased that the prequel series will be changing genres and will have a "different palette" than season 1 and describes it as "a Warner Bros. gangster picture through the lens of Pennywise and Stephen King." Kane continued discussing the season with Entertainment Weekly and stated:
"We’re making something very exciting for season 2 that I can’t talk too much about, but it’s got a different palette. It’s the Depression, it’s 1935. Beyond that, I can’t talk about it, but you can imagine a Warner Bros. gangster picture through the lens of Pennywise and Stephen King. That’s kind of what we’re doing... We’re deep into the writers’ room now. We have multiple scripts, we’ve broken more than half the story for season 2, and we’re edging into pre-production. Beyond that, I think I’ll get suffocated by somebody if I tell you too much more. But, yes, we are deep into it, and it is happening. It’s very exciting. It’s very, very bloody, and it’s very different from season 1."
Andy Muschietti, Barbara Muschietti, and Jason Fuchs developed It for the small screen after bringing 2017's It and 2019's It Chapter Two to the big screen. Muschietti has shared that the new children being featured in It: Welcome to Derry season 2 will be a mix of "runaways or orphans," and will show Pennywise the Clown in "a way you've never seen the character before." Season 2 is set before the first season which took place in 1962, and will tie into King's original novel and the Bradley Gang Massacre exploring Pennywise's feeding cycles.
Castings for It: Welcome to Derry season 2 has yet to be confirmed with Bill Skarsgård's return still not officially confirmed. Kane serves as the sole showrunner, with Andy and Barbara Muschietti executive producing.
It: Welcome to Derry season 1 is available to stream on HBO Max, with the Halloween special "A Story of Derry" available to stream now.
Release Date
October 26, 2025
Network
HBO
Directors
Andy Muschietti
Franchise(s)
IT
Image courtesy of MovieStillsDb
English (US) ·