The films It and It Chapter Two proved to be significant box office successes upon their releases in 2017 and 2019, and now the franchise is set to expand even further.
A prequel series titled It: Welcome to Derry is due to air, promising fans a wealth of new content to anticipate.
Actor Bill Skarsgard, who portrays the notorious Pennywise, has given a sneak peek into what audiences can expect, suggesting that the creators have gone all out.
During an appearance on Josh Horowitz’s Happy Sad Confused podcast, Bill shared his experiences of filming, stating: “It was fun.”
“I enjoyed it more than I thought I would, actually, and there’s parts of it where we got to explore sides um of old Pennywise that we haven’t seen, you know? And that’s fun,” reports the Mirror.
“I think there’s some cool stuff in there that we haven’t seen that I’m excited for you, the people, to watch and enjoy hopefully.”
When asked if the horror element has been intensified because the show is on television rather than film, he hinted: “It’s pretty hardcore, man. It’s not the G-rated Pennywise.”
The series completed filming back in August, with co-showrunner and executive producer Jason Fuchs announcing the news on Instagram.
Sharing a photo of his production chair decorated with the iconic red balloon, he wrote: “237 shoot days later… That is a picture wrap on this season of Welcome to Derry. Surreal. What a ride. Can’t wait for you to see this thing.”
Set in the 60s, Bill stars alongside a top-notch cast in the series, including Jovan Adepo, Chris Chalk, Taylour Paige, James Remar and Stephen Rider.
The original It film, which hit screens in 2017, was a huge success, with audiences enthralled by the character of Pennywise.
Based on Stephen King’s best-selling novel, the supernatural flick garnered glowing reviews and was a box office smash hit.
The movie broke numerous box office records, amassing over $701 million worldwide and securing its place as the third highest-grossing R-rated film.
The plot centres around a band of seven outcasts known as The Losers’ Club who are tormented by a horrifying entity, Pennywise, and compelled to confront their own personal fears.
The phenomenal success of the first chapter led to the launch of a sequel, It Chapter Two, two years later in 2019.
Despite receiving a mixed response from critics, the sequel still proved to be a box office success, raking in $473.1 million globally against a budget of $79 million.
Welcome To Derry will be available to watch on HBO in 2025.