As superhero fans prep for the long-awaited world premiere of “The Flash” later this month at CinemaCon, director Andy Muschietti preps his next project, “Welcome To Derry,” at HBO Max. And Variety has the first casting news from the “IT” prequels. So who’s the first to join the upcoming series? It’s Taylour Paige, Jordan Adepo, Chris Chalk, and James Remar.
READ MORE: ‘Welcome To Derry’: HBO Max Greenlights Prequel Series To Andy Muschietti’s ‘IT’ Films
That’s two HBO alums already on the series, with Adepo being a part of the “Watchmen” cast and Chris Chalk starring in “Perry Mason,” currently in the middle of its second season. Other TV credits for Adepo include “The Stand” and the upcoming “The Three-Body Problem” adaptation over at Netflix. He also had a sizable role in Damien Chazell‘s “Babylon” last year as trumpeter Sidney Palmer. As for Chalk, he also stars in “When They See Us” and Apple TV+‘s “Shining Girls” with Elizabeth Moss. He also stars in A24‘s Sundance 2023 hit “All Dirt Roads Taste Like Chalk,” likely in theaters later this year.
That brings us to Paige and Remar. “Zola” and “Ma Raimey’s Black Bottom” are Paige’s two big recent films. Remar, on the other hand, has two mega-blockbusters on the way: Christopher Nolan‘s “Oppenheimer” and Francis Ford Coppola’s passion project “Megalopolis.” But Remar has also been a character actor for decades, with roles in “The Warriors,” “The Cotton Club,” and “Drugstore Cowboy.” On the TV side, Showtime subscribers may remember him as Harry Morgan, Dexter’s father, on “Dexter.”
No plot details yet for “Welcome To Derry,” but Muschietti envisions it as an expansion of the world he built from Stephen King‘s epic novel in his 2017 and 2019 films. Muschietti develops the series with Barbara Muschietti and Jason Fuchs, with Fuchs penning the show’s first episode. Muschietti will also direct multiple episodes of the series, including the pilot. But it’s Fuchs’ show overall: he serves as co-showrunner with Brad Caleb Kane.
If “Welcome To Derry” is a prequel to the “IT” story, it ostensibly takes place in Depression-era Maine. So expect this series to be a period piece of sorts. And expect HBO Max and Warner Bros. Television to pull out all the stops for Muschietti, Fuchs, Kane & co., too. Muschietti’s two “IT” films made $1.1 billion at the global box office collectively, numbers that inspire a high budget, even for what may end up simply a one-off limited series.