How Stephen King Supported It: Welcome to Derry

The new series in the Pennywise universe extrapolates the original 1986 novel. But did the writer even agree? We asked Muschietti and the showrunners the question.

Can we really do This without Stephen King?

This is the question we inevitably ask ourselves when discovering Welcome to Derry, the new HBO Max series which goes back to the origins of Pennywise and the curse that haunts the small Maine town. A direct prequel to the two films by Andy Muschietti, the series takes place in the 1950s, long before the Club des Rétés discovered the horror lurking beneath the sewers. And in the shadows of this new adaptation, the king of horror is never far away.

Andy and Barbara Muschietti, who shaped the cinematic universe of It in 2017 and 2019, do not hide the essential role of King in their adventure. They confided to Première:

“Stephen (King) has always supported us in our adaptations. Over time, we have become closer and closer. We already said it as readers, as fans, but since the films, he has become Uncle Steve for us now (laughs).”

A bond of reciprocal admiration, which has continued year after year and which has only grown stronger, according to the director and his wife: “I believe that he likes the films we have made previously more and more. He was very supportive of Welcome to Derry. We shared all our scripts for the series with him and we saw his enthusiasm increase little by little. Because I believe that he also wants to have answers to his own book. He poses a lot of questions. questions that he leaves unanswered, and we shed light on the mysteries that surround It, Pennywise and all the events that marked this city. And I think he was very excited to see that.”

Because the new series in the writer’s universe does not adapt the 1986 novel It. The films took care of that. She aims to build on it, expanding the mythology and providing answers to readers who have been wondering for 4 decades. “Stephen King was integrated into the creative process from the start. He read the very first draft of the pilot,” reveal showrunners and producers Jason Fuchs and Brad Caleb Kane, who confirm that nothing was done without him. “He was able to consult the initial bible, a document of several pages which provided the broad outlines of the entire season. He gave us feedback, of course. And at the same time, he had left quite a few gray areas in his novel which we had the pleasure of filling in.”

Inventing the Life of Dick Hallorann from Shinning

These gray areas of the book were so many gaps to explore for the writers of the prequel series: “This, the book, is almost a thousand pages, and yet, we only have a very small glimpse of what happened before in Derry. He makes allusions: he reveals that Dick Hallorann (who we will find later in the Overlook hotel in The Shining) was already present in the city, and so we can play on that in the series. But other than that, the novel doesn’t say much, and in a way, it’s the perfect medium for an adaptation.”

The series therefore takes advantage of existing mythology while digging new trenches, with an almost religious respect for the original material. The showrunners insist:

“Stephen King has always been very generous with his work. He has this brilliant rule, the Dollar Baby, where he grants permission for students and aspiring filmmakers to adapt one of his short stories for a dollar! Of course, for us, it cost a little more than a dollar… (laughs) But he is very generous in allowing us to take his world and extrapolate from his imagination. For example, we were able to explore the fears, the dreams, the life of Dick Hallorann, and that’s really cool when you’re an author.”

The Muschiettis see it the same way: “In a certain way, he ‘lent’ us his book, his work. He allows us to go beyond the story he invented, to build on top of it. We are very lucky.”

Don’t disappoint the master

Obviously, this does not happen without a lot of pressure. Staying faithful to King’s tone without falling into copying: that’s the challenge of a project labeled It. And the creators of Welcome to Derry know it well. “Our biggest fear was disappointing him,” continues Jason Fuchs. Phew, the master has validated. So “how can you not be the happiest of screenwriters? Especially since he’s not the kind of author who says it’s good just because his name is associated with the project. He hasn’t always liked all the adaptations of his books. We were obviously nervous to have his reaction. We wanted him to see the series as a natural extension of his work. So obviously, we’re delighted that he’s on board.” And Brad Caleb Kane adds:

“I discovered Stephen King with Cujo in the 1980s. That shows you how huge a deal it is for me to have his approval. I can always say that it happened to me.”

Although he has not officially written a line of the screenplay, Stephen King looms over Welcome to Derry like a tutelary shadow – or a benevolent presence. As a way to ensure that his work will not be distorted by an HBO series. Here he is reassured.

It: Welcome to Derry will be broadcast from Monday October 27 in France on HBO Max.