Where Does ‘It: Welcome to Derry’ Fit in “It” Timeline? Andy Muschietti Explains Prequel Story

It’s never a bad time for yet another adaptation of Stephen King’s hit horror novel “It”, as HBO’s It: Welcome to Derry is set to bring the story back to the screen six years after the release of the latest movie.

Partially based on the original novel, the show will spawn three seasons, with each of them being set in a different era, though in the same town of Derry constantly haunted by Pennywise the Clown.

However, It: Welcome to Derry’s plot will have little to do with King’s novel whatsoever, adapting a different kind of material than It and It Chapter Two which starred Bill Skarsgård as the evil clown.

Is ‘It: Welcome to Derry’ Set Before ‘It’?

Yes, the new show comes as a prequel to both King’s novel and the two movies where the events unfold in 1989 and 2016 respectively.

Months before It: Welcome to Derry’s first season premiered, co-creator Andy Muschietti shared his perfect plan for the show consisting of three seasons that will witness three different “returns” of Pennywise the Clown.

“Our big story arc involves three seasons, mainly based on the three critical cycles of Pennywise, which are 1962, 1935 and 1908”, Muschietti revealed in an interview with Variety.

On top of that, Muschietti and his team went much further in exploring Stephen King’s horror universe by amplifying short interludes that are included in the author’s “It”.

According to the show’s creator, King was pleased with how everything turned out.

“He was very, very pleased and excited about us completing the puzzle and creating stories that validate all the things that happen – but also building towards something that is more substantial at the end. I think he was mystified by the idea that we're also telling the story backwards”, Muschietti revealed to CInemaBlend several days ago.

‘It: Welcome to Derry’ Will Reveal “More Answers to the Big Questions”, Andy Muschietti Promises

Even though for now Stephen King’s diehard fans, as well as those who never read the original novel, can’t really predict what’s about to happen in the second episode, their patience and curiosity will likely be rewarded with something really important about Pennywise revealed in the further episodes.

As Muschietti highlighted in a recent talk with Deadline, the shocking opening is just the beginning and fans should expect new major details to pour in later.

“My intention with this was to create a story that is a little bit like an iceberg under the water all through Seasons 1, 2 and 3. There will be an expansion in the mythology and more answers to the big questions”, he said.

Additionally, the first season’s finale is supposed to unravel one more mystery about the show’s entire structure.

“The second season will be in 1935. At the end of Season 1, we are hinting at the reason why we are going to tell the story in two more seasons and backwards”, Muschietti added.

It: Welcome to Derry’s season 1 episode 2 will air on HBO Max on October 31.