Pennywise disintegrated into fiery fragments at the close of It: Welcome to Derry Season One, seemingly bidding farewell to the captivated audience. But those who know the lore understand that darkness doesn’t vanish so easily; it merely slumbers. The burning question isn’t if Pennywise will return, but when, and a recent whisper from Hollywood offers a glimmer of hope for eager fans.
A report in The Hollywood Reporter, while discussing Andy Muschietti’s upcoming Batman project, The Brave and the Bold, casually mentioned a detail that has ignited excitement within the Welcome to Derry fandom. According to THR, Muschietti is in high demand due to “the muscular success of Welcome to Derry, HBO’s It series. A second season is now in the works, even if it has not been officially renewed.” This is not the iron-clad guarantee viewers wanted, but it’s a tantalizing breadcrumb.
io9 reached out to HBO for an official statement regarding the renewal of Welcome to Derry, but as of yet, the company has remained silent.
Even before the first season premiered, co-creators Muschietti, Barbara Muschietti, and Jason Fuchs envisioned a three-season arc for Welcome to Derry. The inaugural season, set in 1962, explored a cycle of Pennywise’s terror preceding the events of Muschietti’s films (1989 and 2016), aligning with the entity’s established 27-year killing pattern.
Back in January 2025, Muschietti outlined potential settings for future seasons: 1935 for season two, and 1908 for season three. Season one touched on both eras via flashbacks, with focus on Bob Gray—the human who became Pennywise. We saw Bob’s daughter, Ingrid, grapple with loss in 1908, a sorrow that warped into obsession and drove her actions in 1935 and 1962, as she desperately tried to reunite with her father.
Even with Ingrid’s story explored, those earlier timeframes offer a treasure trove of untapped narratives. Season one hinted at 1930s gangsters; what role might they play? And what about the 1906 Kitchener Ironworks explosion, a tragedy referenced in Stephen King’s novel and the show’s opening credits, but not explicitly woven into the plot?
All eight episodes of It: Welcome to Derry‘s first season are available on HBO and HBO Max, featuring Jovan Adepo, Taylour Paige, Chris Chalk, James Remar, Stephen Rider, Blake Cameron James, Arian S. Cartaya, Amanda Christine, Matilda Lawler, Clara Stack, Madeleine Stowe, Rudy Mancuso, and Bill Skarsgård.
However, don’t grow too attached to them. Aside from Skarsgård (Bob Gray/Pennywise) and possibly Madeleine Stowe (Ingrid), season two would likely require a mostly new cast. Writing backward in the timeline also presents challenges, considering the new lore introduced in season one.
How will ‘Welcome to Derry’ Season 2 handle Pennywise’s origins?
The Native American storyline fleshed out Pennywise’s backstory and it now needs to be delicately handled in the 1935 and 1908 settings. The showrunners have a responsibility to tread carefully and respectfully as they explore the ancient evil that plagues Derry.
Will the military still be present in Derry in Season 2?
Season one introduced the military’s presence in Derry, adding another layer of intrigue. If season two journeys back to 1935 and 1908, will that presence remain, and how will it shape events? Perhaps the roots of the military’s interest in Derry run deeper than we initially suspected, a secret buried in the town’s dark history.
For those who favor physical media, It: Welcome to Derry: The Complete First Season arrives on 4K UHD, Blu-ray, and DVD May 5. Extras include three extended behind-the-episode featurettes and a new featurette exploring the societal dynamics of 1962 Derry: Jim Crow, the Red Scare, and governmental encroachment on Indigenous lands, all of which contribute to the terror of this New England town.
Update: The original version of this post was updated to include HBO’s response to io9’s comment query.
Could ‘Welcome to Derry’ introduce characters from Stephen King’s other works?
Derry, Maine is a nexus in the Stephen King multiverse. The town and its dark history have connections to other novels. Could familiar faces from King’s wider bibliography appear in Welcome to Derry, enriching the narrative tapestry?
The pieces are scattered, like fragments of a shattered mirror reflecting a distorted image of Derry’s past. It’s clear the showrunners are crafting a story that expands the It universe while honoring its source material. Will they manage to successfully weave together the old and the new, or will the weight of expectation prove too heavy a burden?