IT: Welcome To Derry's Trailer Has One Problem, According…

Summary

Fans express concerns about IT prequel Welcome to Derry not covering enough book events.
Fans feel the prequel feels too similar to the IT movies, lacking originality.
To satisfy fans, IT: Welcome to Derry needs to include book references and detail Pennywise's backstory.

The trailer for HBO Max's prequel IT: Welcome to Derry is here, and it promises all the hallmarks of the classic, creepy, and fun Stephen King story. While the infamous small town of Derry, Maine is still the main setting, the series takes place in 1962, and follows a family who has just moved there. As a group of kids investigates some strange disappearances, they learn about the legend of Pennywise, and the iconic villain memorably appears at the very end of the trailer.

As fans anticipate the release of Mike Flanagan's The Life of Chuck and The Long Walk, which will be in theaters in June and September 2025, they're also curious about IT: Welcome to Derry. Now that they've watched the trailer, fans have some strong opinions about the prequel, and they've noticed one particular concern.

Buffy the Vampire Slayer Buffy and Willow

The Buffy The Vampire Slayer Reboot Casts A Stephen King Alum As Its New Slayer

The Buffy the Vampire Slayer reboot from Hulu has a new slayer, and Stephen King fans will recognize the star.

Posts

By Aya Tsintziras

Stephen King Fans Are Worried IT: Welcome To Derry Is Too Similar To IT: Chapter One And Two

After watching the trailer for IT: Welcome to Derry, fans shared their thoughts on Reddit, and many were disappointed and underwhelmed. The consensus? Based on the trailer, fans don't think the prequel will cover enough events from the book, and they think it feels too much like the two movies, IT: Chapter One and IT: Chapter Two, which were released in 2017 and 2019. Redditor @RebeccaOTool wrote:

"There's SO MANY things they could have explored, the Ironworks explosion, or what I was led to believe this season was covering, the fire at the Black Spot. But no, they're just trying to remake the movie AGAIN."

Redditor @slowrevolutionary wrote:

"this just looks like...IT but with different kids and some "Smile" adults. I was kinda excited but now I'm not. Am I missing something??"

Redditor @ChaoticDumpling shared a similar sentiment:

"I was excited at the start of the trailer, but the more it went on, the more it just felt like...exactly the same?"

Another fan shared that they wish the series included "the historical reference points throughout the book" such as "the ironworks, the shootout, and all the other ill-fated events that lead up to the final showdown with Pennywise."

Scenes like the Black Spot fire may still be included in IT: Welcome to Derry, even if they were excluded from the trailer. However, fans would have liked to see some of these scenes in the trailer since it would show them what they can expect. Although fans love watching many Stephen King adaptations and will definitely check out the prequel series, it's too bad that some don't feel all that excited after seeing this footage.

Although the chance to see the terrifying clown Pennywise is always welcomed, IT: Welcome to Derry will satisfy fans if it includes book references, shares more of Pennywise's history, and stands out from the two previous movies. Otherwise, another story about kids who are equally scared of and also determined to stop a clown in an eerie small town doesn't feel necessary. Since it's a prequel, Welcome to Derry needs to dive deep into who Pennywise is and how they came to be, or it could disappoint viewers. Since the show has a three-season plan and every season will take place in the past, there's still a lot of time for Welcome to Derry to cover all the ground King fans want. But it makes sense that they wanted to see more from the trailer.

What Did Stephen King Say About IT: Welcome To Derry?

In 2022, Stephen King appeared on Bloody Disgusting's The Losers' Club Podcast and mentioned that the prequel series IT: Welcome to Derry was in the works. He said:

"It’s an interesting possibility to do that. They talked about a prequel. Which struck me as an okay idea. I’d love to see what Pennywise was up to 27 years before the ’50s. Or, I guess it would be the ’80s, because they updated the [setting]. So it would be, you know, before World War 2 or something. It’ll be interesting to see what will happen with that.”

Later, executive producer Andy Muschietti shared that King approved the first draft of the prequel, which is good to hear.

According to TV Line, IT: Welcome to Derry season 1 will have nine episodes, and it will arrive in fall 2025. However, at the time of this writing, there is no release date.

Image