Bill Skarsgård to Play Pennywise for ‘It’ TV Prequel

Bill Skarsgård will Return as Pennywise for the ‘It’ TV Prequel

Andy Muschietti, who directed both of the successful ‘It’ movies, is on board to produce and make the first four episodes of the Max prequel series.

Bill Skarsgård in 2017's 'It'. Photo: Warner Bros. Pictures.

Preview:

Bill Skarsgård is slapping on his Pennywise make-up again.
He’ll appear in the ‘It’ prequel series on Max.
Taylour Paige, Jovan Adepo and Chris Chalk are among the cast.

Given the success of the two ‘It’ movie adaptations, it was somehow inevitable that the story would continue somehow. And indeed, a TV prequel –– with the working title of ‘Welcome to Derry’, after the town in the movies and Stephen King’s book –– was announced as in the works last year.

And now a key element of the movie is returning, as Bill Skarsgård is ready to head to clown town again, reprising his role as demonic entity Pennywise.

IT: Welcome to Derry

NR1 Seasons

Prequel to IT beginning in 1960s also covering origins of Pennywise the Clown. Read the Plot

What’s the story of the ‘It’ prequel?

Bill Skarsgård in 2017's 'It'. Photo: Warner Bros. Pictures.

‘Welcome to Derry’, or whatever it ends up being titled, is also based on King’s ‘It’ book, with the movies’ director Andy Muschietti working with producer/sister Barbara Muschietti, and Jason Fuchs (who revised the ‘It: Chapter Two’ script and was a co-producer on that movie) to devise a new story that takes place before the events of the movies. Brad Kane and Fuchs are running the show, and the cameras have been rolling since April.

Andy Muschietti is directing four episodes of a planned nine-episode season.

How Pennywise fits into the story remains to be seen, but we predict he’ll be up to his old tricks terrifying (and killing) people.

Who is in the ‘It’ prequel series?

Jovan Adepo plays Sidney Palmer in 'Babylon' from Paramount Pictures.

The cast for the series already includes Taylour Paige, Jovan Adepo, Chris Chalk, and James Remar. And while Skarsgård previously indicated he wasn’t sure if he’d be involved with the series, it sounds like he was just waiting for a deal to be locked in.

What has Skarsgård been saying about his prior Pennywise experience?

Bill Skarsgård stars in 'John Wick: Chapter 4.'

The actor has been talking recently about an uncomfortable early experience with the role of Pennywise, revealing that he wasn’t sure about Warner Bros.’ idea to showcase his look as the character a year before the first movie itself arrived.

Here’s what he told Esquire:

“When you are 26, you don’t feel young at all, but now, looking back at it, I was a kid. [The studio] did a thing that I felt was kind of mean. It was fairly early on in my career to take on something that had so many eyeballs and expectations on it. I was so incredibly nervous to start this job, and then the Internet is having so many hateful opinions on the weird, strange look of the thing.”

When will the ‘It’ prequel series be on screens?

While HBO/Max haven’t confirmed an exact launch date for the series, it should be on TV in 2025 (surely nearer Halloween since that feels like the right time for an ‘It’ project).