Stirring up feat with Stephen King

Stephen King’s blockbuster 1986 horror novel It may be most familiar to a certain generation from its on-screen incarnation as a two-part 1990 miniseries that starred Tim Curry as the demonic clown Pennywise who terrorised the children of Derry, Maine.

In the 21^st century the 2017 film adaptation and its 2019 sequel, both created by Argentinian brother and sister team Andy and Barbara Muschietti, have introduced a new generation of viewers to a darker, more terrifying version starring Bill Skårsgard as Pennywise.

Now, just in time for Halloween, the Muschiettis have returned to the fertile ground of King’s novel for a prequel series, It: Welcome to Derry, which takes place in the titular town in the tumultuous 1960s and delves deep into the origin story of Pennywise and the tantalising unanswered questions which the master horror author teased in the book.

What made you want to return to the It universe for this show?

Andy Muschietti (writer, director, executive producer): There are a set of enigmas addressed here that stem from the book and the movies. Throughout the course of our story, we shed light on some mysteries that tell stories around the big events. We’ll try to answer them over the course of the show.

Barbara Muschietti (executive producer): Our Rosetta Stone is vast because It, the book, is massive. This story leaves so much to be explored. We couldn’t cover enough in the two movies, so we don’t feel like we’re trying to exploit something we’ve already done. It’s new territory. Putting the puzzle together with King’s support is challenging and rewarding.

Brad Caleb Kane (showrunner): It’s a dense book, brilliantly written and constructed, which goes in different directions. We’ve tried to find things that weren’t utilised in the movies — things to extrapolate, build and expand on. We found themes unique to the book and the town of Derry, and built a season around them.

What did setting the story in the 1960s allow you to explore narratively and creatively?

AM: We wanted to tell the story backwards. The 1960s in America was an era of unease because of several things; discrimination, the Cold War — it was a canvas that felt appropriate for drama and horror. Some of the characters that are terrorised by a shapeshifter that turns into their worst fear.

BM: It’s an exploration of the 1960s. We’re trying to create the naïveté of a small town, especially after the two wars. We also enjoyed the aesthetics of the clothing and the idea that kids were more kid-like — more innocent.

BCK: We’re doing an It story, which is about an entity exploiting children’s fears to divide and conquer them — we’re doing that story in 1962 America — there were a lot of divisions. Derry is a microcosm of America. We deal with themes that are still relevant today: the exploitation and weaponisation of fear to divide, conquer and control. I realised the deeper we delved into those themes, the more interesting the show would be. We obviously had to deliver some visceral scares to salt up those kids for It to eat, but the setting of the show enabled us to take what’s inherent about the entity in the book and make it relevant.

What was King’s involvement, and were you nervous about his response to the finished product?

Jason Fuchs (writer, showrunner): It’s scary: you make a King show without knowing what he’ll think of it. He was involved from an early stage. He read scripts and approved things, but his reaction to the finished product was anyone’s guess — he’s known for being honest about what he thinks of adaptations of his work. It wasn’t guaranteed that he’d rubber stamp it and publicly give it a thumbs up. It was thrilling and exciting to get his approval.

AM: The book as a source provided plenty of question marks, so we didn’t feel that we were expanding on something that was complete. Some of the stories in the book are resolved, but most of them are puzzles that aren’t complete. That was part of the framework for us. Our relationship with King has become close since we made the first movie. He encouraged us to dig through his work, be adventurous and not stick to the book as an ironclad blueprint. Instead, he invited us to shed light on unanswered questions and invent things. He wanted to be surprised. He’s excited about what we’ve done.

• It: Welcome to Derry is streaming on Showmax.