It prequel series Welcome to Derry casts Madeleine Stowe, Stephen Rider

The highly anticipated It prequel Welcome to Derry has reportedly found its lead actors in Madeleine Stowe and Stephen Rider. The series was ordered at HBO Max in February 2023. The latest development is good news for the fans of the It movies as the horror franchise is set to expand.  

It remains unknown what roles Stowe and Rider will be playing in the show, as per a report by Variety. The plot details are also under the wraps, with only a loose synopsis available. According to Variety, the Welcome to Derry synopsis reads, “Set in the world of Stephen King’s ‘It’ universe, ‘Welcome to Derry’ is based on King’s ‘It’ novel and expands the vision established by filmmaker Andy Muschietti in the feature films ‘It’ and ‘It Chapter Two.'”

The series is currently under development. Andy Muschietti and Barbara Muschietti, who have worked together in developing both It and It Chapter Two, are taking the story forward and are on board the project. Speaking about the series to Variety, the duo said that they’ve been reading the Stephen King novel as children. They also praised the story and said that the novel contains a lot more material than what has been shown in the first two films. 

More on It (2017) and It Chapter Two (2019)

The It films grossed more than $1.1 billion worldwide. Based on the novel of the same name by Stephen King, It focuses on an extra-dimensional creature Pennywise, who masquerades as a clown and murders children. However, in the first film, the Losers Club seemingly kill off the monster. In the second film, which tells the story 27 years after the initial encounter with Pennywise, everyone from the group has moved on with their lives. Unfortunately, a phone call brings them back to Derry, as it appears that Pennywise is back again. 

It (2017) stars Bill Skarsgård as Pennywise, Jaeden Martell, Finn Wolfhard and Sophia Lillis. The second film features Jessica Chastain, James McAvoy, Bill Hader and Isaiah Mustafa. Both films have been directed by Andy Muschietti and were huge hits at the box ofice.