Since Stephen King’s novel It was adapted for screens in 1990, it’s become a favorite story in the horror genre. From King’s legendary storytelling to the creepy clown Pennywise, everyone is familiar with IT. Years later, it was remade by Andy Muschietti in 2017, with a sequel in 2019. Muschietti’s remake brought more depth to King’s well-known story on screen and took it to a whole new level, both in terms of storytelling and scares. Now, HBO is developing a prequel series to King’s It titled Welcome to Derry.

While some may not get why a prequel series for It is such a great idea, it’s actually an extremely smart move. But why? What’s the point in creating a prequel series to a story that was originally written years ago in 1986?

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Taking Advantage of a Successful Franchise

     Warner Bros. Television Distribution

It’s hard to deny the massive popularity of Stephen King’s It. Since the TV miniseries starring Tim Curry as the scary, killer clown Pennywise premiered in 1990, the story has taken the world by storm. It shocked and scared audiences and awoke the fear of clowns, or coulrophobia, in several people and introduced the world to a deep, twisted, horror story about fear, loyalty, bravery and the triumph of good over evil.

Years later when Andy Muschietti revisited the story in 2017 with the remade It or It: Chapter One, it caught the attention of fans old and new and was a massive success. Muschietti stayed true to the original source material while also breathing new life into the movie from his darker approach, improved makeup and special effects and stellar casting and storytelling techniques — which continued in the sequel It: Chapter Two, two years later.

Following all three movies — plus King’s original 1986 novel that started it all — the IT “franchise” has become extremely successful. Not only were the book and the movies major hits, but the characters and story have become widely recognizable pieces of pop culture. From the look of Pennywise to the signature one-liners like “We all float down here,” IT has certainly made an impact. That said, introducing the prequel series Welcome to Derry is a smart move because it’ll be one more entry in the It catalog, taking advantage of a well-loved franchise and will revisit the well-known characters and story, as well as the place where it all started. Making Welcome to Derry a series rather than another movie is also smart because it allows the production and creators to have more reach and spread out the story with multiple episodes than it likely would with just one movie.

     Warner Bros. Pictures

We’re truly living in the age of the prequel/sequel. From House of the Dragon to The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power, and even Better Call Saul, people love prequels. Similarly, sequel shows like Fuller House, the new iCarly and the highly-anticipated That ’90s Show are just as popular. Following the success and hype of prequel and sequel series like those, it makes perfect sense for other franchises to get involved, too.

Welcome to Derry will be doing just that. It’s meant to serve as a prequel to the events in the It movies, specifically the newer It: Chapter One and Chapter Two. A lot of the details of the show are still under wraps, but it’s supposed to explore the origins of Pennywise and his reign of terror in the town of Derry, Maine. While it’s not clear yet whether previous cast members will be making a return, it’s certainly possible since the series is meant to be a continuation of the recent reboots.

People love prequels and sequels because they allow audience members to continue their journeys with their favorite characters. Whether exploring storylines that came before the main series or after, prequels and sequels — when done well — are enjoyable extensions of well-loved shows. They also serve as ways to answer questions audience members may have after the main show ends. And with a large, complex plot like It, there are certainly plenty of unanswered questions and lore to explore.

Fans Want More Backstory

Stephen King’s novel IT, which served as the source material for the movies, is well over 1,000 pages. While a lot of parts were cut out or reimagined for the sake of the screen adaptations, there’s still pages upon pages of content and lore and backstory to delve into. And people want more backstory.

That’s essentially what Welcome to Derry is setting out to deliver. The Pennywise story is very layered and isn’t really something that any of the movies really spend a ton of time on. From the movies so far, we have an understanding that Pennywise the Clown first arrived in Derry in 1715 via an asteroid, and has been emerging every 27 years since then to terrorize the children of the town, feeding on them until he goes back into his hibernation.

That’s some information to go off of, but it still poses more questions than answers. How did a killer clown arrive via an asteroid? Why Derry, Maine of all places? What’s the deal with the 27-year cycle? Since he’s been around for so many years, are there other people from Derry that know about him or have encountered him aside from the Losers Club that the movies focus on? There’s a lot of lore to dive into and unpack here, and Welcome to Derry could be the catalyst for that exploration. It’s a smart move to produce a show like this because people are of course familiar with IT, but they’re also likely curious about the “why” for the storyline, and hopefully this new series can answer all those long-held questions.