It: Welcome to Derry season 2 will be bigger, with a different kind of Pennywise

Pennywise the Dancing Clown is preparing to terrorize Derry all over again, but fans shouldn’t expect Season 2 of IT: Welcome to Derry to simply repeat the horrors of the first season. Showrunner Brad Caleb Kane has teased a bigger second season featuring “a different kind of Pennywise” in the HBO prequel series inspired by Stephen King’s IT.

In a new interview with Deadline, Kane revealed:

“We’re writing the scripts. We’re about halfway through the writing of the scripts. We have a production schedule, we’re greenlit for a Season 2, and [producer/director] Andy Muschietti’s out there casting.”

Kane also promised that the next chapter will be bigger than Season 1, while giving Bill Skarsgård’s Pennywise a fresh presentation.

“A different kind of Pennywise, Pennywise the way you’ve never seen that character before.”

IT: Welcome to Derry Season 2 Takes Place in 1935

Season 1 of IT: Welcome to Derry took place in 1962, but the series is now moving further back into the town’s dark history. Season 2 will be set in 1935 during the Great Depression, centering on the Bradley Gang massacre, an event drawn from the history of Derry described in King’s 1986 novel.

The Bradley Gang is a group of bank robbers who stop in Derry to buy ammunition, only to encounter unimaginable horror. Kane described the season’s setting as something resembling a Warner Bros. gangster movie, with bank robbers, Hoovervilles, street urchins riding the rails, and religious fundamentalism all playing into the story.

The first season blended supernatural horror with the social and historical realities of early-1960s America, including racism and Cold War-era intrigue. The Great Depression should provide another distinct setting for the series to explore the many horrors lurking beneath Derry’s surface.

The season also continues the show’s planned backward progression through the town’s history. With Season 1 set in 1962 and Season 2 set in 1935, the series is following the 27-year cycle associated with Pennywise’s appearances in Derry.

The series builds on the world established by Andy Muschietti’s IT (2017) and IT Chapter Two (2019), while drawing from the broader history contained in King’s novel.

JoBlo’s own Alex Maidy awarded the first season an 8/10 in his review, calling it a worthy prequel chapter that honors King’s novel while adding new material to the mythology. You can read his full IT: Welcome to Derry review here.

Brad Caleb Kane Takes Over as Sole Showrunner

Kane is also moving into Season 2 with sole showrunner responsibilities. He shared those duties with Jason Fuchs during the first season, but Fuchs has stepped down from the co-showrunner role. Kane continues to lead the series, with Andy Muschietti and Barbara Muschietti remaining involved as executive producers.

Kane is juggling another major horror prequel as well: Crystal Lake, the Friday the 13th series exploring the history of Pamela Voorhees and her son Jason. That show recently arrived on Peacock, with Linda Cardellini taking on the role of Jason’s mother.

With Crystal Lake and IT: Welcome to Derry both drawing on beloved horror franchises, Kane has plenty of work ahead of him. But his latest comments suggest the team is already making substantial progress on the next chapter of Pennywise’s story.

Season 2 of IT: Welcome to Derry is greenlit, scripts are underway, and casting is in progress. Now we’ll have to wait and see what Kane, Muschietti, Skarsgård, and the rest of the team have in store when they take us back to Derry in 1935. Are you looking forward to the next batch of Welcome to Derry episodes? Let us know by leaving a comment below.

The post It: Welcome to Derry season 2 will be bigger, with a different kind of Pennywise appeared first on JoBlo.