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[bitbydeath]

I’m interested, not sure how to get HBO where I live, but I’m interested.

The series is currently going by the title “Welcome to Derry” and will begin in the 1960s in the time leading up to the events of the 2017 film “IT: Part One”. The series is also said to include the origin story of Pennywise the Clown.

Andy Muschietti, who directed the two films, is attached to executive produce the series along with Barbara Muschietti and Jason Fuchs.

The Muschiettis and Fuchs reportedly developed the story for the show with Fuchs writing the script. Andy will also direct the first episode should it go to series whilst a writer’s room is now open.

HBO Max Plans "IT" Prequel Series - Dark Horizons

HBO Max is reportedly developing a prequel TV series to Warners’ two-film adaptation of Stephen King’s famed novel “IT” which grossed over $1.1 billion combined at the global box office. The series is currently going by the title “Welcome to Derry” and will begin in the 1960s in the time leading...

www.darkhorizons.com

 

[IDKFA]

Does IT really need a prequel series? I feel like this is creativity bankrupt.

 

[MMaRsu]

Hmm no thx

 

[ManaByte]

Uh King kind of already explained Pennywise’s origin. He’s connected in some way to the aliens in Dreamcatcher.

 

[Star-Lord]

Uh King kind of already explained Pennywise’s origin. He’s connected in some way to the aliens in Dreamcatcher.

But has his origin been explored on TV or in film? I honestly can’t recall seeing it explained. If not, it would be great to have a limited run series to explain it and be done with it. But HBO gonna HBO and milk it for everything.

 

[Irobot82]

Uh King kind of already explained Pennywise’s origin. He’s connected in some way to the aliens in Dreamcatcher.

That movie scared me when I was a kid.

 

[ManaByte]

But has his origin been explored on TV or in film? I honestly can’t recall seeing it explained. If not, it would be great to have a limited run series to explain it and be done with it. But HBO gonna HBO and milk it for everything.

It doesn’t sound like this is following King’s origin though and is instead something the writers of the movie made up.

 

[Jennings]

Normally I'd shrug this off as upcoming garbage, but since this will be an HBO show I'm expecting it to blow the films out of the water.

 

[Werewolf Jones]

Put in the cocaine lore you fucking cowards.

 

[AJUMP23]

"IT".....Again.....No thanks.

 

[jason10mm]

We just need a Randall Flagg series that has free reign to hit on ANY King story. None of this "only Castle Rock" bullshit. King was doing meta verse stuff waaaaaay before it was popular.

If there was ever a grand sweeping story about disparet characters coming together to defeat an existential threat, it's the kingiverse.

 

[DetectiveBananas]

Would have to see a trailer to really judge if it will work but I’ll give them 50/50 if they get Bill Skarsgard to reprise his role as Pennywise.

 

[The Cockatrice]

Originality in Hollywood is dead. Everything has to be a prequel now. Ill pass.

 

[poppabk]

Lots of interesting ways they could do this. 1960's isn't really one that seems that interesting to me.

 

[NickFire]

Does IT really need a prequel series? I feel like this is creativity bankrupt.

I completely disagree that it is creatively bankrupt and think this could be a phenomenal love letter to King fans. There is so much they could do with this, but I do hope it (every season) ends on dark notes. They could do seasons with 27 (I think) years of separation, showing the different reactions of kids / adults reflective of the different times they grew up / lived in. They could include Native American periods, settlers, and even flashbacks where it only has animals to feed on. And obviously they could flesh out how it adopted the Pennywise avatar, and could include much more Turtle. The creature itself has been on earth for ages, and has an antagonist they could play off. So exciting for people like me.

 

[IDKFA]

I completely disagree that it is creatively bankrupt and think this could be a phenomenal love letter to King fans. There is so much they could do with this, but I do hope it (every season) ends on dark notes. They could do seasons with 27 (I think) years of separation, showing the different reactions of kids / adults reflective of the different times they grew up / lived in. They could include Native American periods, settlers, and even flashbacks where it only has animals to feed on. And obviously they could flesh out how it adopted the Pennywise avatar, and could include much more Turtle. The creature itself has been on earth for ages, and has an antagonist they could play off. So exciting for people like me.

We'll agree to disagree. I personally think the idea pisses on the original King classic. The whole series will be one big exposition dump and kill off any mystery contained in the original novel.

Rather than mining these old IPs to oblivion, maybe they could take inspiration from Stephen King and come up with some original ideas.

 

[jason10mm]

I completely disagree that it is creatively bankrupt and think this could be a phenomenal love letter to King fans. There is so much they could do with this, but I do hope it (every season) ends on dark notes. They could do seasons with 27 (I think) years of separation, showing the different reactions of kids / adults reflective of the different times they grew up / lived in. They could include Native American periods, settlers, and even flashbacks where it only has animals to feed on. And obviously they could flesh out how it adopted the Pennywise avatar, and could include much more Turtle. The creature itself has been on earth for ages, and has an antagonist they could play off. So exciting for people like me.

I feel like the second IT film kinda covered all that stuff though, at least to the depth it could take. Consider that NO ONE succeeds in defeating pennywise, probably doesn't even hurt him, in these earlier periods, given his actions towards the gang we know. So it would be a slaughter with no retaliation. Hardly the type of story anyone needs to see.

More likely it retcons some earlier "scrappy kids" that drive Pennywise away early, much like we saw in IT, thus it's just rereading old ground.

 

[FunkMiller]

Put in the cocaine lore you fucking cowards.

Not a chance

Theyve consistently run away from all the interesting stuff about IT Innthe live action stuff.

This will be rewritten, and will be dull as shit.

 

[Doom85]

Uh King kind of already explained Pennywise’s origin. He’s connected in some way to the aliens in Dreamcatcher.

There’s a shout-out to Pennywise in Dreamcatcher but beyond that I don’t remember any connection. The entity known as It/Pennywise is the opposing force to The Turtle which created the universe which is explained in The Dark Tower books.

 

[dr_octagon]

Would have to see a trailer to really judge if it will work but I’ll give them 50/50 if they get Bill Skarsgard to reprise his role as Pennywise.

Pennywise was originally a barista who drank a cursed coffee. He got his name because he gets a lot of tips and has a PhD in marine biology. He began attending clown collge as a change in career and eventually turning into an evil interdimensional spider monster.

You can easily stretch that into a movie and a 10 episode tv show. I've got 99 tricks and a balloon ain't one. The theme song will be tears of a clown

 

[BigBooper]

Are people happy with hbo max? Thinking about giving it a try.

 

[Chronicle]

IT? Seriously?

It is trying to kill us all! Should we tell the police or an adult? No let's try and kill it ourselves.

What a dumb movie.

 

[20cent]

It will be a late 19th or early 20th century retelling of the same story with a Penny(wise) Dreadful vibe. Maybe. Do not want.

Give us a Dark Tower show instead...

 

[bitbydeath]

IT? Seriously?

It is trying to kill us all! Should we tell the police or an adult? No let's try and kill it ourselves.

What a dumb movie.

The adults (inc Police) can’t see IT.

 

[bitbydeath]

There’s a shout-out to Pennywise in Dreamcatcher but beyond that I don’t remember any connection. The entity known as It/Pennywise is the opposing force to The Turtle which created the universe which is explained in The Dark Tower books.

I really don’t think anything of value would be lost if IT’s origin was re-written.

 

[Chronicle]

The adults (inc Police) can’t see IT.

That's stupid too.

 

[OmegaSupreme]

I hate having mystery. I want everything explained to me!

 

[Umbasaborne]

The adults (inc Police) can’t see IT.

Its less they cant see it, more its essentially brainwashed them. It doesnt just feast on kids, basically anyone who it deems “vulnerable” is fair game. Like that guy and his boyfriend who get assaulted at the start of pt2

 

[DryvBy]

Hollywood sucks. Glad the 20th century was full of bangers.

 

[Doom85]

I really don’t think anything of value would be lost if IT’s origin was re-written.

Pretty sure tying it to the shit weasels from Dreamcatcher (to think a fucking legend like Morgan Freeman had to say that name) as opposed to connecting it to The Dark Tower series would be a loss in value. Unless I just wound up in Bizarro World, it’s the safest bet ever to say most people prefer the Dark Tower books over the Dreamcatcher book (including King himself, as he wrote Dreamcatcher under the influence of OxyContin while recovering from a serious car accident and later said he didn’t like the novel very much).

 

[jason10mm]

(including King himself, as he wrote Dreamcatcher under the influence of OxyContin while recovering from a serious car accident and later said he didn’t like the novel very much)

IMHO all of kings best stuff was when he was binging booze and cocaine. As a sober guy he is a sanctimonious prick TBH. But as a drug fuelled rager he is second to none in the horror writing department.

 

[Doom85]

IMHO all of kings best stuff was when he was binging booze and cocaine. As a sober guy he is a sanctimonious prick TBH. But as a drug fuelled rager he is second to none in the horror writing department.

You do you, but even beyond the stupid type of threat in Dreamcatcher, I remember staring at disbelief when I read it and halfway through two of the four leads are offed abruptly and then rather seeing the fallout of that like any logical story, instead the perspective goes to these military guys who are suddenly in the story now and after 100 pages (or what felt like) of being stuck with them and not knowing what happened to the people we were following for half the book, I was like:

 

[DeepEnigma]

IT was good, IT2 was a shitshow bordering on parody of itself. Practically 3rd wall.

 

[OmegaSupreme]

IT was good, IT2 was a shitshow bordering on parody of itself. Practically 3rd wall.

That was true of the original mini-series as well. Maybe it's a problem with the source material? Can any It book readers chime in? Is the grownup stuff less compelling?

 

[DeepEnigma]

That was true of the original mini-series as well. Maybe it's a problem with the source material? Can any It book readers chime in? Is the grownup stuff less compelling?

That was an 80's thing. All his made for TV adaptations were... eh, but did have a cult following. I guess Cat's Eye and Pet Cemetery were pretty decent.

But as for IT the first film, that was legit creepy. The second one was horrible, even the special effects took a cartoony step backwards. I was struggling to think if they were actually going for comedy in that one.

 

[NickFire]

That was true of the original mini-series as well. Maybe it's a problem with the source material? Can any It book readers chime in? Is the grownup stuff less compelling?

I haven't read it in a couple years, but I believe the book is more intertwined. Regardless, I think the screen issue boils down to: (1) part 2 is inevitably a recycle of almost the same story when you break it down to two time periods; and (2) its much easier to convey the sense of terror children would feel compared to adults. Even the lore itself makes it clear that It prefers to feed on children because the terror is basically steak seasoning, and children get terrified easier.

 

[jason10mm]

That was true of the original mini-series as well. Maybe it's a problem with the source material? Can any It book readers chime in? Is the grownup stuff less compelling?

No, in the book the 2 halves worked better. The kids struggle is always better because they feel way more isolated and vulnerable. As adults you could kinda expect them to go Rambo if they chose to so their engagement to the audience is a bit less. IT the novel is one of the best reading experiences ever IMHO.

The best way to film IT would require a 20 year break between stories with the same kid actors now as adults. I actually wouldn't put it past someone to try it with the IT part 1 cast in a few decades as a member-berries stunt.

 

[dorkimoe]

Put in the cocaine lore you fucking cowards.

If anyone would it would be HBO

 

[Valonquar]

The problem with making TV\Movie versions of IT is that the source material includes too much shit Hollywood is afraid to include, or downright illegal to include.

 

[j0hnnix]

The problem with making TV\Movie versions of IT is that the source material includes too much shit Hollywood is afraid to include, or downright illegal to include.

This^ King went insane in certain parts of IT that would never, ever be translated to the big or small screen. He even mentions a part which would be "too sensitive" for this day. Shoot even when the book was released it pushed boundaries. At least Ben got a chance.