Pennywise Returns? Bill Skarsgård Talks About the Upcoming Prequel Series

Bill Skarsgård, who played Pennywise in the It Franchise, reveals his involvement in the upcoming HBO Max prequel series Welcome to Derry. 

This terrifying character is an extra-dimensional shapeshifter that haunts the children of Derry, every 27 years. Skarsgård is not the only actor to portray Pennywise. He took over the role from Tim Curry, who played it in 1990. 

In an interview with Jake’s Takes on ComicBook.com, Skarsgård discusses his potential appearance as Pennywise the Clown in HBO Max’s prequel series. 

Welcome to Derry was commissioned by HBO in February and is set to explore more stories from the fictional town of Derry during its earlier days. 

While very little is known about the series, Skarsgård has shared his thoughts on whether he will be involved in it or not.

We’ll see what they come up with and what they do with it. I’m, as of now, not currently involved in it. And if someone else gets to do it, my advice would just be: do it your own, make it your own, have fun with it, you know what I mean? What I thought was so pleasurable about that character was how incredibly abstract he was.

Bill Skarsgård

Apart from Skarsgård’s confirmation that he won’t be a part of Welcome to Derry, there’s lack of official information about the series. 

It’s uncertain whether Pennywise will appear in the show, even though it will be set in the same town where the menacing clown wreaked havoc. 

The series appears to focus more on the town rather than its most infamous monster.  Welcome to Derry is set to broaden the It universe by exploring fresh horrors in the haunted town.

The upcoming series is expected to occur in the early 1960s, several years before the events of the first It movie in 1988. 

If the series were set in 1961, it would align with Pennywise’s recurring pattern of appearing every 27 years. 

However, despite fans’ curiosity about casting, no information has been disclosed except for Skarsgård denying involvement. 

Since HBO only announced the series a little over a month ago, it’s unlikely that Welcome to Derry will be available before 2024.

Although limited details are available, Welcome to Derry is already backed by a solid team. The director of It and It Chapter Two, Andy Muschietti, will collaborate with his sister Barbara and Jason Fuchs, the writer of Wonder Woman, in creating the prequel series. 

Stephen King has also shown his support for the series and is pleased that the Muschietti siblings are leading the expansion of the Derry universe. 

The extent of the development of Welcome to Derry and whether Pennywise will come back to haunt us remains to be seen.