Welcome to Derry’s Pennywise Twist Was Almost Used in the IT Movies (& It Would’ve Ruined Stephen King’s Story)

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The TV series Welcome to Derry is putting a fresh spin on Stephen King’s classic story, and most fans are enjoying the changes. In the fifth episode, “29 Neibolt Street,” the show finally takes viewers to the iconic setting from the book – the sewers beneath 29 Neibolt Street – where the main characters encounter Pennywise the Clown (Bill Skarsgård) in his lair. Unfortunately, things quickly go wrong, and not everyone survives the encounter.

Andy and Barbara Muschietti, the creators of the IT films and the Welcome to Derry TV series, recently shared that the surprising twist in Episode 5 was actually an idea they originally developed for the movies!

Pennywise’s Trojan Horse (SPOILERS)

Okay, so episode 5 of Welcome to Derry was a wild ride! It was so good to see Lily, Ronnie, Will, Richie, and Marge all back together, investigating what’s been going on in Derry. And then, unbelievably, Matty showed up! Remember him from the very beginning? We all thought he died when that creepy flying baby attacked! He claimed he actually escaped whatever’s been terrorizing everyone – the Clown – and said another friend, Phil, was still down in the sewers, being… well, eaten. Matty was super reluctant to go back down there, but Lily, bless her heart, finally convinced him. But here’s the kicker: it was all a trick! They got down there, and it was a trap. They found Matty’s real body floating in the water, and the ‘Matty’ who led them there… totally transformed into Pennywise! Seriously, it was a shocking moment.

Jason Fuchs, an executive producer and co-showrunner for Welcome to Derry, revealed that the idea of Pennywise disguising himself as someone familiar to draw the group into a trap was initially planned for IT Chapter Two. In that film, Mike Hanlon (Isaiah Mustafa) is the only member of the Losers Club who stays in Derry as an adult, remembering their fight with Pennywise and researching the creature. One early version of Chapter Two featured a storyline where Pennywise killed Mike and then impersonated him, hoping to trick the other adult Losers into returning to Derry and falling into his grasp.

According to writer Gary Fuchs, an early draft of IT: Chapter Two featured a shocking twist: Mike Hanlon, who seemed to be leading the adult Losers’ Club, actually led them to his own corpse in IT’s lair. This revealed that the Mike they knew throughout the film wasn’t the real Mike, but a creation of IT itself, a manifestation of the evil entity.

Fuchs explained that an idea was scrapped because it strayed too far from the source material. They wanted to stay truer to the story’s core events. While it would have altered Stephen King’s established story, the IT movies already took liberties with his original work. Some might suspect the decision also stemmed from concerns about killing off the only significant Black character, especially given Mike Hanlon’s crucial role in resolving the conflict with Henry Bowers and delivering justice.

No matter the reason, it was likely a good thing the IT movies didn’t explore that particular storyline. The Muschiettis were later able to revisit the idea with Welcome to Derry. According to Fuchs, as they developed the show and especially Episode 5, they realized the concept had found the right time and place. Having Matty as the guide within that context felt much more fitting.

It absolutely was! This is a great example of why being patient can be rewarding, as the return of Pennywise in Welcome to Derry was well worth the anticipation. You can now watch the show on HBO Max.

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2025-11-26 23:40