When is It: Welcome to Derry set and how is it connected to the films?

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HBO’s new series, “It: Welcome to Derry,” is the newest Stephen King story to be adapted for television, following recent adaptations of “The Institute” and “The Long Walk.”

The source novel is over 1,000 pages long, so the 2017 and 2019 movie adaptations of ‘It’ left out a lot of interesting content.

In Stephen King’s 1986 novel, the main story of the Losers Club is complemented by five separate scenes set in the town of Derry. These scenes are important because they reveal how Pennywise affects the town and show the horrors that happen there.

With Bill Skarsgård being the only main cast member reprising his role as the frightening Pennywise, it’s unclear where the next movie falls within the overall history of the creature’s evil deeds.

When is It: Welcome to Derry set?

It: Welcome to Derry is set in 1962, 27 years before It: Chapter 1.

Andy Muschietti’s film adaptations of Stephen King’s It changed the story’s timeline. The first movie, It Chapter One, was set in the summer of 1988, instead of the 1958 setting in the book. Consequently, the sequel showed the characters reuniting as adults in 2016, 27 years after their childhood encounter with Pennywise.

Welcome to Derry takes place before the events of the It movies, showing what happened in Derry during the early 1960s. The story unfolds 27 years before ‘It Chapter One,’ specifically in 1962.

The story begins with a chilling opening sequence that immediately sets the film’s unsettling and frightening tone. This takes place four months before the main story, in April 1962. The events shown are directly inspired by real incidents in Derry, especially the story of the Black Spot nightclub, a popular spot for soldiers from the nearby Army base during that time.

Though the creators – director Andy Muschietti, producer Barbara Muschietti, and writer Jason Fuchs – made some changes to the story’s timeline, they still kept 1962 as a crucial and haunting year for the town of Derry.

The movie briefly showed this event through a story told by Mike Hanlon’s grandfather when Mike was a child. The new film will delve deeper into this frightening part of Derry’s past.

What is the timeline of It: Welcome to Derry?

In its most basic terms, the timeline is as follows:

  • It: Welcome to Derry – 1962
  • It: Chapter 1 – 1989
  • It: Chapter 2 – 2016

Similar to Stephen King’s novels, the series Welcome to Derry will delve into a past appearance of the shapeshifting evil known as It. This entity resurfaces roughly every 27 years to prey on the fears and negativity of Derry’s people, especially children.

The Loser Club’s historian discovered this repeating pattern while researching Pennywise’s history of terror in Derry. He found that each time Pennywise awoke, it was followed by unexplained violence, terrible acts, and widespread death.

Mike frequently relied on interviews with longtime residents, which helped him uncover important details about Derry’s history.

Following the chilling story within the novel’s second interlude, director Andy Muschietti and his team will delve into the events that caused the devastating tragedy at the club in 1962, as remembered by Will Hanlon, Mike Hanlon’s father.

This event is crucial for understanding how Pennywise makes people in Derry more cruel, and it links the story’s beginning to what happens later. It also introduces Dick Hallorann, a popular character from Stephen King’s other works – a smart move!

How is It: Welcome to Derry connected to the films?

The new series, ‘It: Welcome to Derry,’ will introduce a fresh group of characters, including a young Will Hanlon, and will be directly linked to both the ‘It’ movies and the larger universe of Stephen King’s stories.

The show centers around Leroy Hanlon, a young airman portrayed by Jovan Adepo, who is Will Halon’s father and eventually becomes Mike’s grandfather.

Leroy is working at an air base close to Derry, Maine, with another member of the military, Dick Hallorann, who fans may recognize from other stories by Stephen King, portrayed by Chris Chalk.

Before becoming the cook at the Overlook Hotel in The Shining, the character was a fellow soldier with his own psychic abilities. Together, they helped start the Black Spot nightclub and played a crucial role in discovering – and investigating – the surprising story of Pennywise’s beginnings.

Fans familiar with the previous movies can also look forward to seeing turtles again. These images are a reference to Maturin, a powerful, cosmic character in Stephen King’s stories who opposes Pennywise and represents the idea of balance.

The thrilling series It: Welcome to Derry will premiere on Sky Atlantic and NOW on October 27th, 2025. Subscribe to Sky TV to watch!

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2025-10-26 22:36