It prequel Welcome to Derry has the potential to be a far better route for the story to go rather than another sequel. Welcome to Derry is rumored to be set 27 years before the events of It (2017), placing the timeline in the early 1960s. Andy and Barbara Muschietti will again be helming this project, which HBO Max will produce.
Following the release of It Chapter Two in 2019, Pennywise actor Bill Skarsgard expressed an interest in reprising the role again, but only if it was the right story. Similarly, screenwriter Gary Dauberman also discussed the possibility of a sequel, noting that various elements within the novel could be expanded upon and transformed into their own stories. However, since Pennywise is seemingly destroyed at the end of the film with the Losers Club moving on with their lives, continuing the story from that point would render both the film and book pointless.
Instead, the proposed Welcome to Derry prequel is a far smarter move than producing an It Chapter 3. Not only does it provide more creative freedom, helping to avoid a rehash of the other films, but it would also answer plot holes from It Chapter Two. For example, It Chapter Two touched upon Pennywise’s origin and first encounter with humans on Earth, glossing over the Ritual of Chud and ultimately moving the plot all over the place. Additionally, both It and It Chapter Two touch upon the darkness that taints the town of Derry, without going into great detail about Derry’s history or how Pennywise is able to have such a sinister hold over it.
How An IT Prequel Can Make Pennywise’s Story More Exciting
Pennywise’s hold over Derry has not only been discussed in the film adaptations of the novel but also teased in several of Stephen King’s works, such as The Tommyknockers and Dreamcatcher. Therefore, Welcome to Derry is the perfect opportunity to explore more of Pennywise’s backstory and his hold over Derry, clarifying how it became such an awful place to live with equally terrible residents. This could take Pennywise away from his child-eating antics shown in the films and have the prequel focus more on his involvement in local tragedies in Stephen King’s Derry, such as the 1906 Kitchener Ironworks explosion mentioned in It.
Furthermore, it could also be interesting to see whether there will be a more faithful adaption of Pennywise’s terrifying forms from the novel. The 1960s setting brings the prequel a lot closer to when the events of the book take place, so it wouldn’t be shocking if a Werewolf or Frankenstein’s Monster appeared this time away from the 80s nostalgia of 2017’s It. While there have been no recent updates to the It prequel series, Welcome to Derry already proves it can explore sides of Pennywise and Derry that have not yet been seen.