‘It: Welcome to Derry’ Creator Says Season 2 Will ‘Not’ Shy Away From the ‘Horrible’ Cultural Themes of the 1930s: It’s the ‘Heart of Our Story’
What's happening
Andy Muschietti, creator of HBO's "It: Welcome to Derry," has confirmed that Season 2 will directly confront the dark cultural and social themes of 1930s America rather than sidestep them. The show is currently in the writers' room developing the next chapter of the horror series.
Who's involved
Andy Muschietti is an Argentine director and screenwriter who directed both films in the It film series (2017 and 2019) and developed the HBO prequel series, which he also executive-produced and directed four episodes of. The series is based on Stephen King's 1986 novel It, which centers on a shapeshifting entity called Pennywise that preys on children.
Why it matters
The commitment to engage with historical racism, antisemitism, and other 1930s prejudices signals that the horror franchise intends to use genre conventions to explore systemic evil alongside supernatural terror. This approach could influence how prestige horror projects balance entertainment with cultural accountability, and sets expectations for how deeply Season 2 will examine the era's uglier aspects.
The story
As the fanbase of Stephen King's It universe awaits the next chapter of Pennywise's terror, HBO's "It: Welcome to Derry" is moving forward with serious intent regarding its historical setting. According to Variety, co-creator Andy Muschietti has confirmed that Season 2 will not shy away from the "horrible" cultural themes of 1930s America, framing these elements as central to the show's narrative identity.
"We're very excited, we're in the writers' room right now," Muschietti said, signaling active development on the continuation. The decision to foreground period-specific social horrors marks a deliberate creative choice that distinguishes the prequel series from its film predecessors. Rather than treating the 1930s setting as mere backdrop, the show plans to weave antisemitism, racism, and other institutional evils into the fabric of its storytelling.
The original It novel, published by Stephen King in 1986, follows seven children terrorized by an entity that exploits the fears of its victims while disguising itself in various forms, most notably as Pennywise the Dancing Clown. The 2017 and 2019 film adaptations, both directed by Muschietti, brought King's material to modern audiences with considerable commercial and critical success. The new HBO series, which began with Muschietti directing and executive-producing four episodes, takes the franchise backward in time, exploring the supernatural and social horrors of an earlier era.
Muschietti's framing of 1930s bigotry as "the heart of our story" suggests that the series views historical prejudice not as incidental context but as thematic material integral to understanding how evil operates—both the supernatural kind embodied by Pennywise and the human kind woven into society itself. This dual-horror approach offers the potential to deepen the source material's exploration of fear while grounding it in historical reality.
With the writers' room currently active, Season 2 remains in early development stages. The creative team's stated commitment to unflinching engagement with cultural themes will likely shape viewer expectations and critical reception as production advances.