HBO renews ‘It: Welcome to Derry,’ teases darker season 2

Pennywise is set to return, as HBO officially renews "It: Welcome to Derry" for a second season.

Pennywise is set to return, as HBO officially renews “It: Welcome to Derry” for a second season. The horror prequel is heading back further into the past for its next chapter.

According to multiple reports, the new season will shift its timeline to 1935, deep in the Great Depression era. That marks a significant jump backward from season one’s 1962 setting.

The upcoming season’s logline centers on the brutal massacre of the Bradley Gang, a group of bank robbers who stop in Derry to buy ammunition. Instead, they end up facing horrors far beyond anything they anticipated.

Andy Muschietti, who co-created the first season, is returning to helm season two as well. He has previously hinted that the new instalment will lean into an even darker tone and direction.

Speaking to Variety, Muschietti described the atmosphere fans should expect from the Depression-era setting. He explained that hardship and desperation would run through the characters, as everyone struggles to survive their circumstances, often resorting to increasingly extreme choices.

He added that the show wouldn’t shy away from the harsher social and cultural realities of the period. According to Muschietti, those darker historical elements will sit at the very core of the story, not on its edges.

While casting details for the new season have not been revealed yet, Brad Caleb Kane has been confirmed as solo showrunner for season two. His role marks a shift in creative leadership as the series moves forward.

“It: Welcome to Derry” first premiered last October as a prequel to the film franchise based on Stephen King’s iconic horror novel “It.” The series quickly earned a strong response from both critics and audiences.

That positive reception appears to have played a direct role in HBO’s decision to renew the show. With a new era, a bloodier premise and a returning creative force behind it, season two looks set to push the franchise’s horror even further.