Fans waiting for Pennywise’s terrifying return finally have an exciting update. It: Welcome to Derry co-creator Andy Muschietti has confirmed that work on Season 2 is officially underway, with the creative team already developing the next chapter of the HBO Max horror series. The upcoming season won’t simply continue the story—it will rewind the timeline once again, taking viewers to an even darker period in the cursed history of Derry.
Rather than revisiting familiar locations from the first season, the new installment promises a completely different atmosphere shaped by economic hardship, violence and the town’s lingering evil. Muschietti also revealed that the series will continue its long-term plan of exploring Derry’s past through different decades, expanding the mythology first introduced in Stephen King’s iconic novel.
Andy Muschietti Reveals Season 2 Is Already in the Works
Speaking about the future of the series, Muschietti confirmed that the writers have already begun shaping the next installment. He said, “We’re very excited, we’re in the writers’ room right now.” While production details remain under wraps, the confirmation signals that HBO Max is moving forward with the horror prequel after building anticipation around its first season.
Season 2 will travel back to 1935, drawing inspiration from one of the interludes featured in Stephen King’s It. The story will revolve around the infamous Bradley Gang Massacre, an event in which a notorious group of criminals hides in Derry while escaping the FBI. As the gang robs businesses, murders locals and spreads fear throughout the town, Pennywise’s sinister influence once again becomes intertwined with Derry’s darkest moments. The events unfold 27 years before the first season, continuing the show’s reverse-chronological storytelling approach.
A Bleaker Version of Derry Awaits Viewers
According to Muschietti, audiences should expect a version of Derry unlike anything previously seen in the franchise. Instead of the quiet suburban streets that defined the It films, the town will reflect the harsh realities of the Great Depression. Poverty, unemployment and hopelessness shape the environment, creating a setting where survival itself becomes a daily struggle.
Explaining the tone of the upcoming season, Muschietti said, “There’s gonna be a lot of that depression-era hustling in the air in our characters. Everybody’s trying to get by and survive the circumstances. They are gonna do crazy things. And of course, the social, cultural, horrible things that were happening in the era, too. We’re not going to skip those. [They are the] very center and the heart of our story.” His comments suggest the series will combine supernatural horror with the difficult realities of the historical period rather than treating the setting as simple background.
The filmmaker further described how dramatically the town itself has changed. He said, “In this case, on the surface, Derry is a graveyard almost. It’s a carcass of something because people are depleted, poor, tired, jobless, homeless. The kids don’t have a suburban, comforting life. They’re in a very different situation. Some of them are orphans or runaways, and so the environment is pretty bleak. But there’s always the aspect of hope that is always there, burning, and it’s what keeps our new group going.” The description hints that the emotional tone may be even heavier than previous entries in the franchise.
Stephen King’s Story Continues to Expand
Although the Bradley Gang storyline occupies only a small portion of Stephen King’s original novel, Muschietti believes it provides enough room to build an entirely new narrative. The creative team, including Barbara Muschietti and Jason Fuchs, plans to use those brief moments from the book as the foundation for a much larger story while maintaining connections between different generations of Derry residents.
Muschietti confirmed that familiar family bloodlines will continue linking the various timelines, saying, “There will always be the connection, there’s a family tree that appears.” This approach supports the larger vision he has previously outlined for the series, which explores Derry’s history in reverse. Following the first season and the upcoming 1935 storyline, the planned third chapter is expected to travel back once again to 1908, uncovering another chapter in Pennywise’s centuries-old reign of terror.
Beyond the It universe, Muschietti also revealed that he remains interested in adapting more of Stephen King’s work. One project he still hopes to tackle someday is The Jaunt, the acclaimed science-fiction horror short story from King’s Skeleton Crew collection. Reflecting on his first experience with the story, Muschietti said, “It just completely shattered me.”
The original It films, released in 2017 and 2019, became major global box office successes and introduced Bill Skarsgård’s unforgettable portrayal of Pennywise to a new generation of horror fans. With It: Welcome to Derry continuing to explore the terrifying history behind the cursed town, Season 2 looks set to deepen the mythology while delivering a fresh setting, new characters and another chilling encounter with one of horror’s most iconic villains.
