IT: Welcome to Derry Series Has a Surprising Connection With The Shining

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The upcoming HBO Max series, *IT: Welcome to Derry*, will feature connections to other famous Stephen King stories like *The Shining* and *The Shawshank Redemption*. Series creator Andy Muschietti revealed these links during a panel at New York Comic-Con.

Andy Muschietti confirms IT: Welcome to Derry’s connections to two Stephen King adaptations

During New York Comic-Con on October 9th, the creators of the upcoming series *IT: Welcome to Derry*, Andy and Barbara Muschietti, shared that the show will have surprising connections to Stephen King’s famous novels *The Shining* and *The Shawshank Redemption*. In an interview with CBR, they discussed the inspirations behind the prequel and how it builds upon the wider Stephen King universe.

Director Andy Muschietti has revealed connections between his series and the film *The Shining*. Specifically, the character Dick Halloran has a significant role, as established in the original book – he was previously connected to the Black Spot.

Andy praised the actor Chris Chalk, who played Dick Halloran, calling his performance incredible. Muschietti emphasized that Dick Halloran is a key character in the series.

He hinted at a connection to the movie *The Shawshank Redemption*, pointing to the story of a man wrongly convicted and sent to Shawshank Prison. He explained, “The film features a character who is wrongly accused and imprisoned. The question is, does he actually make it to Shawshank?”

He pointed out that this character could have met Andy Dufresne and Red if he’d made it to Shawshank. But, the director hinted, it’s still uncertain whether he actually gets there.

Premiering October 26th, “IT: Welcome to Derry” is set in 1962 and reveals how Pennywise’s reign of terror began, showing the frightening events that happened before the first “IT” movie.

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2025-10-10 13:36