The new series in the Stephen King universe, It: Welcome to Derry, lands on HBO Max as a direct prequel to Andy Muschietti's films. The production returns to the most disturbing Maine to investigate the cycle of terror that ravages Derry and in what beats beneath its sewers.
With a more choral and period approach, the fiction is set in 1962 to address the Black Spot club fire, Cold War fears and racial tensions, while letting the shadow of Pennywise grow across its streets. The season arrives in a weekly format and will feature eight episodes that expand the mythology without losing the enigma.
Release date and how to watch it in Spain
This staggered release model seeks to allow each installment to breathe and leave a mark, allowing the conversation to grow around it. the plot set in 1962 and the nods to King's literary universe that pepper each episode.
The cursed and enigmatic clown
The series is approaching the origins of Pennywise without revealing them completely. Andy and Barbara Muschietti, along with Jason Fuchs, recapture the spirit of the book: answering some questions and leaving others in the shadows. The creature, associated with a plane alien to our world, retains its aura. cryptic and disturbing.
As part of this mythology, symbols abound, from the apparitions of the Turtle to the echoes of the so-called "macroverse." The narrative maintains the mystery and only hints at rules and limits, reinforcing the idea that the unknown remains his greatest power.
Something is happening and nobody wants to see it.
Derry appears as a community marked by silence and complicity in the face of the incomprehensible. The series intertwines the fear of the clown with the cold everyday life of a city that normalizes abuse, exclusion and violence, especially in the context of Civil Rights.
This approach places the characters in front of a double terror: the lurking monster and that which society itself chooses not to look at. In this balance, the Black Spot fire acts as a wound that exposes prejudices and a lack of shared morality.
Plot and connections in the King universe
The season is inspired by the interludes of the novel, the stories Mike Hanlon compiles while researching Derry's Black history. Here, the camera travels back to 1962 to reconstruct testimonies and events that anticipate the reappearance of It every 27 years.
Among the most celebrated links is Dick Hallorann (Chris Chalk), a character from The Shining who here adds a psychic layer to the investigation. The production has also suggested the intention of exploring different periods with three seasons set in 1962, 1935 and 1908, following the 27-year slumber.
Without becoming an explanatory manual, the series articulates its pieces between the historical and the supernatural to expand the unwritten rules of Pennywise without losing the dark fable aroma that defines It.
Cast, creative team and style
At the forefront of the project are Andy and Barbara Muschietti, who are developing the series with Jason Fuchs and Brad Caleb Kane, with an eye toward deepening what has already been outlined in the films and opening new avenues without betraying the original tone.
In the cast, Bill Skarsgård takes up the figure of the dancing clown, accompanied by Jovan Adepo (Leroy Hanlon), Taylour Paige (Charlotte Hanlon) and Chris Chalk (Dick Hallorann), as well as James Remar, Rudy Mancuso, Stephen Rider and Madeleine StoweA combination that balances youthful presence and adult dramatic weight.
The finish is that of a HBO blockbuster, with effective direction, more measured scares, and an atmosphere that focuses on growing unease. The photography and music contribute to the uneasy atmosphere that settles in Derry, avoiding the easy jump scare as the only tool.
Spoiler-free first impressions point to a thematic focus in structural violence and racism, with measured appearances by Pennywise and an expansion of the background that holds surprises for King's readers without completely closing the enigma.
Those who approach It: Welcome to Derry will find a careful prequel which explores the social origin of horror while rekindling the mythology of the clown, with a premiere on HBO Max, a weekly format and eight episodes that invite you to return to the streets of Derry with the feeling that something is moving under the surface.