‘It: Welcome to Derry’ Creators Tease Pennywise’s Role in the Stephen King Prequel (You May Be Disappointed)

by

The new series, It: Welcome to Derry, is almost here, and fans of Stephen King are excited to return to the terrifying town he created. Many are especially looking forward to seeing Bill Skarsgård reprise his role as Pennywise the Dancing Clown, who will once again haunt Derry. However, the showrunners have hinted that Pennywise’s return will be a slow burn. According to them, this deliberate pacing is intentional and serves a purpose within the story.

Andy and Barbara Muschietti, who directed and produced the original It movies and the new series, recently discussed the highly anticipated prequel with ScreenRant. They’ve previously hinted at Pennywise’s role in the show, and now Barbara has explained why they’ve chosen to limit the clown’s appearances. Don’t worry though – it’s all to make the series even scarier.

From the beginning, a key goal has been to portray the character as unpredictable. To achieve this, it’s important to keep the audience guessing and prevent them from becoming too familiar with him.

I’ve mentioned it before, but this character is truly our monster – our shark, if you will. The writers really need to unleash his full, complicated self at the perfect times. If they don’t, it just doesn’t have the same impact. I honestly believe he’s still so scary because they reveal him in carefully measured doses – it’s that pacing that makes him work!

I jumped into the discussion, and tried to explain what I loved about the movie. It’s a real slow burn – you have to appreciate that the filmmakers are deliberately holding back on showing the clown right away. It’s all about building tension! He’s kind of there, and not there at the same time, which is exactly what makes it so unsettling. Or maybe he isn’t there, but you feel like he is… it’s a tricky thing, but it works!

‘It: Welcome to Derry’ Is Much More Than a Pennywise Prequel


HBO

Pennywise is central to Stephen King’s novel It, and remained a key figure in both the television miniseries and film adaptations. However, the story’s deeper mythology goes beyond just the clown. As showrunner Brad Caleb Kane explained in a recent interview:

Long-form stories allow us to explore Pennywise’s different frightening forms in detail, and to really get to know the characters. We can understand their motivations and discover what truly scares them, all rooted in their past experiences.

Kane hinted that the slow reveal of Pennywise, keeping the character mostly hidden, was a deliberate choice. He believes this approach will ultimately pay off, explaining that Pennywise’s actions in the new films are even more intense and violent than what audiences saw in the previous two movies.

We wanted to gradually reveal Bill’s encounter with Pennywise. Hints of the character appear early – you start to hear his voice and laugh, and you see the iconic balloon. There are also subtle visual cues, like eyes appearing in unexpected places, letting the audience know he’s approaching.

We’re building suspense because when this character returns, it’s going to be amazing – and far more intense than anything you’ve witnessed in the film so far.

Read More

2025-10-21 18:05