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If you know anything at all about smart gambling (oxymoron, anybody?) then one cardinal rule must always be abided by: Always bet on a sure thing. It’s a rule that the hierarchy in Hollywood know well; how else do you explain an endless string of Mission: Impossible and Fast and Furious flicks, not to mention umpteen superhero movies, all of which have taken in some serious bank at the box-office? These continuing adventures starring familiar faces act as a bit of comfort food for a movie-going crowd that, now more than ever, needs some hint of familiarity in an otherwise unrecognizable world transformed over the last couple of years by a raging pandemic. If you don’t believe us, look no further than the global phenomenon which is author Stephen King’s creepy late night yarn of It.
First brought to life by King as an international bestseller back in 1986, It follows the story of a group of kids who go by the moniker of “The Losers Club” and who must do battle with an ancient evil in order to save themselves and their small town of Derry. The book proved popular enough to ultimately inspire a much beloved 1990 miniseries and then, twenty-seven years later, an official big screen remake which took the form of two separate films. As they did with the ABC effort from decades before, audiences embraced the supernatural coming of age story, voting enthusiastically with their wallets. The gatekeepers of Hollywood understand one thing, if nothing else – Money talks and, if it’s even remotely possible to capitalize on a financial success with a sequel, a new remake or product that is uncannily similar to the goose which just laid their latest golden egg, you can bet your Michael Bay and Zack Snyder Blu-ray collection that the bean counters of the entertainment industry will bend over backwards to turn money earned into even more money. As we pointed out, it’s smart gambling.
Which all leads us to today’s latest news from our backslapping buddies over at Variety who have announced that an It prequel television series is headed our way courtesy of the fine folks at HBO Max.
Tentatively titled Welcome to Derry, this prequel story is set to take place during the 1960s and will build up to the events from the 2017 and 2019 theatrical It films. Word ‘round industry campfire has it that the new series will also do a deep-dive into the long backstory of Pennywise the Clown, possibly spinning an origin story for the nefarious evil entity that has a nasty predilection for red balloons.
To keep the flow of the prequel series consistent with that of the recent films (the series is, after all, canon to those efforts), director of It: Part One and It: Part Two Andy Muschietti will be onboard the Welcome to Derry series as an executive producer alongside his wife Barbara and cohort Jason Fuchs. The trio’s role is more than any honorary title: They also had a big hand in developing the new story and, should HBO Max opt to pick the series up, Andy Muschietti would serve as director for at least the first episode.
We’ll keep everyone posted on any new developments on Welcome to Derry as they float into us from our nearby storm drain.
