Bill Skarsgård was initially “hesitant” to play Pennywise in It: Welcome to Derry until one exciting development changed his mind. Skarsgård previously played the iconic Stephen King villain in It (2017) and It Chapter Two (2019).
It: Welcome to Derry‘s story is set before the events of the Losers Club facing Pennywise in the movies and the source material. Based on the interlude chapters from the original novel, the prequel will explore the backstory of Pennywise, the town of Derry, Maine, the parents of Mike Hanlon, and a number of new characters.
While speaking with SFX Magazine, Welcome to Derry‘s director and executive producer Andy Muschietti revealed that Skarsgård was “hesitant” to play It again because of the toll that playing such a dark character can take. However, Skarsgård’s worries eventually evaporated. Check out Muschiettit’s comments below:
I think he was a little hesitant at the beginning to play It again because he is something that he did in the past.
Also, at that point, when we started talking about the series as something that was real and tangible, he had played a lot of very dark characters, and he was a little hesitant to go into it again. Because, obviously, for someone that takes his work and his art so seriously as him, it takes a toll to live in the head of those characters for a long time. So he was a little hesitant at the beginning – and then something changed. I guess that we started again, going into it and discussing all the virtues of this new story and he decided to do it.
Executive producer Barbara Muschietti clarified that Skarsgård was particularly interested in bringing to life the backstory of It taking over Bob Gray and becoming Pennywise, which was an idea that had previously been discussed for a potential third movie.
Because there was a lot more Bob Gray exploration, which we had talked to in the past, and we even had discussed making a third movie about Bob Gray before he was taken over by It and became Pennywise. This became a good little piece of candy to play with. We saw him having a really good time doing it. So it was nice to see him, especially in the Bob Gray moments when he’s more distended, have fun.
What This Means For It: Welcome To Derry
One of the biggest draws for Welcome to Derry is Skarsgård reprising the role of Pennywise. This helps the series feel like more of a direct prequel to the movies than it would have if the part was recast, especially after Skarsgård’s masterful and critically acclaimed performance in the films.
Welcome to Derry arguably would have been less exciting without him, although it is understandable to have hesitations about playing Pennywise again after going through the experience of playing the deeply disturbing character twice before. The richness of the character’s backstory and the accompanying themes seem to have been enough to make the return worthwhile.
It also helps that Skarsgård worked with Andy and Barbara Muschietti on the It movies, which creates a history of trust and experience, along with a strong understanding of what makes the stories of Pennywise and Derry work so well. A third movie never happened, but the prequel is paying off a narrative they already wanted to explore.
It (2017) is one of the all-time best Stephen King movies, and that is largely due to the work that Skarsgård and Andy and Barbara Muschietti did. Their past work proves that they are the perfect team for It: Welcome to Derry, and these latest comments confirm that there was a strong narrative reason to make this prequel beyond it being a popular IP.
It: Welcome to Derry will make its HBO debut on October 26.
- Release Date
-
October 26, 2025
- Network
-
HBO
- Directors
-
Andy Muschietti
