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| Image/Warner Bros. |
HBO Max's IT prequel series has announced its first four cast members: Taylour Paige (Zola, Ma Rainey's Black Bottom), Jovan Adepo (Babylon, Watchmen), Chris Chalk (Perry Mason, All Dirt Roads Taste of Salt) and James Remar (Oppenheimer, Megalopolis) will star in the series, currently titled Welcome to Derry. At the moment, no details have been revealed on who these first actors will play in the series, surprisingly announced in March 2022.
At the moment, the plot of the project is not even clear, although it is known that it will be set in the 60s, preceding the events of the sequel to IT, the film based on the famous horror novel by Stephen King. The official series logline reads: "Set in the world of Stephen King's It universe, Welcome to Derry is based on King's novel, brought to the big screen by director Andy Muschietti." Welcome to Derry will therefore be based on the film franchise and, at the moment, we do not know how much it will draw from the printed material.
Andy Muschietti, who directed both films (released in 2017 and 2019) will executive produce the series along with Barbara Muschietti and Jason Fuchs, who is writing the script for the first episode of the series, itself based on a story that he co-wrote with Muschietti. The director of the films will also direct some episodes, including the first one. Fuchs and Brad Caleb Kane are co-showrunners and executive producers. Welcome to Derry is produced by HBO Max and Warner Bros. Television, with Double Dream.
The two IT films combined have grossed over $1.1 billion at the global box office upon their release. The second film, set 27 years after the events of the first, brought an all-star new cast to play adult versions of Derry's children, including Jessica Chastain and James McAvoy. IT was previously adapted into a two-part miniseries for ABC in 1990, featuring Tim Curry's iconic performance as the terrifying Pennywise.