The new horror series IT: Welcome to Derry premieres this weekend on HBO, and according to showrunners Jason Fuchs and Brad Caleb Kane, it's going to start by scaring audiences to death with a terrifying set piece.
Jason Fuchs began his career as a child actor with credits like Flipper (1996), but has ventured into the darker side of entertainment in recent years. He co-produced IT: Chapter Two (2019), and made an appearance in the film as Richie's manager. Now, he's an executive producer for HBO's prequel series IT: Welcome to Derry, alongside executive producer Brad Caleb Kane.
Brad Caleb Kane also began as a child actor, gaining several credits over the years as a voice actor, and as a producer for popular shows like Fringe (2008-2010), and the much-anticipated Friday the 13th prequel show Crystal Lake, set to release next year. In addition to Crystal Lake, he's also an executive producer for IT: Welcome to Derry.
Winter Is Coming caught up with Kane and Fuchs at New York Comic Con, where the two discussed their favorite aspects of the pilot episode releasing on Sunday, October 26th. Fuchs considers the opening sequence of the pilot episode his favorite scene in the series. "It's one of the first things I wrote when I started writing the show, and it just feels like the birth of a new generation of IT terror. Quite literally, if you see the sequence," he said.
Fuchs added that since the show is set in 1962, it's able to makes great use of world events like the Cold War to help set the tone. The original novel, Stephen King's IT, uses 1958 and 1985, with the IT: Chapter One and IT: Chapter Two movies piggybacking off that timeframe to 1989 and 2016 (since Pennywise makes his appearance every 27 years).
#WelcomeToDerry showrunners and EPs Jason Fuchs and Brad Caleb Kane tease the show’s opening sequence: pic.twitter.com/pj0W4NRgzi
— Winter is Coming (@WiCnet) October 22, 2025
Both Fuchs and Kane feel that the opening sequence is a terrifying introduction to a chapter of the story we've never seen, taking what we already know of IT and Pennywise, and building a whole new addition to the story. Fuchs believes that the scene in the show became even more "extreme" than it felt when written in the script, which is great news for everyone who's been hoping the show will start off with a bang!
Kane touches on another concept familiar to this franchise: a beautiful, shiny exterior hiding something far less pretty under the surface. Derry's quaint, small town image is a direct contradiction to the corruption and death hiding under the surface, just like Pennywise could (well, mostly) pass as a normal clown to anyone unaware of his true form.
Bill Skarsgård returning to the role of Pennywise for IT: Welcome to Derry was by far the best news about the show for fans. While there's no denying Tim Curry was phenomenal as the original Pennywise in the 1990 miniseries, Skarsgård's new rendition will undoubtedly live in nightmares for decades to come!
Are you looking for more details on the show? How do you think Pennywise will make himself known to our new group of brave kids, battling unspeakable evils? Be on the lookout for the premiere of IT: Welcome to Derry this Sunday, October 26 on HBO and HBO Max.