For a while, it felt like there was reason to be concerned about IT: Welcome To Derry – the upcoming Stephen King series that will premiere on HBO next year. Though it was easy to appreciate that the filmmakers behind IT and IT: Chapter Two were expanding the canon with a prequel show, it was unclear if the project would include the return of Bill Skarsgård’s Pennywise The Dancing The Clown, and that lack of confirmation seriously hampered anticipation. Thankfully, Skarsgård’s return was officially announced back in May, and the actor’s new comments about the work are both exciting and somewhat scary.
That’s the lead story of this week’s edition of The King Beat, but it’s not the only one, as the past few days in the world of Stephen King also delivered some unfortunate news about the authors’ beloved radio stations in Maine and a release date for Mike Flanagan’s The Life Of Chuck. There’s a lot to go over, so let’s dig in!
Bill Skarsgård Teases Doing Something New As Pennywise For IT: Welcome To Derry, And I’m Fascinated
Back in 2017, Stephen King fans didn’t know what to expect from Bill Skarsgård as Pennywise The Dancing Clown in director Andy Muschietti’s IT. While the actor was recognized as part of a talented family of actors including his father Stellan Skarsgård and brother Alexander Skarsgård, it was unclear what to expect from his interpretation of one of literature’s most iconic monsters – particularly after Tim Curry’s performance from the 1990 IT miniseries successfully traumatized a generation.
Any and all consternation was eventually eliminated as Bill Skarsgård delivered what is recognized as one of the greatest villain performances in modern horror, and his recent comments about his work on IT: Welcome To Derry have provided tremendous anticipation for his return as the embodiment of the sinister Deadlights.
Movie fans will be seeing a lot of Skarsgård’s name in the coming weeks thanks to his stunning, transformative turn as the titular vampire in Robert Eggers’ critically acclaimed remake of Nosferatu, and he recently spoke about his return to the role of Pennywise for an interview in the latest issue of SFX Magazine (which hit stands on December 3). He admitted that there was peculiarity in reprising the evil entity that haunts the town of Derry, Maine, and that feeling was surprisingly bolstered by his reunion with a collection of familiar faces:
It was strange to be back. [Producers] Andy and Barbara Muschietti were doing the show, and I adore them. Most of the crew was the same people that did the movies. So it was this weird thing of going back to this gang of people that you created this thing with.
On the one hand, I would have thought that working with the same crew for Welcome To Derry would have raised his comfort level – but I suppose I can also understand the circumstances generating feelings of déjà vu that could register as odd.
That being said, Bill Skarsgård’s comments also suggested that audiences definitely shouldn’t just expect more of the same from the IT HBO series, which will be at least partially set in the early 1960s. In a moderately disturbing revelation, the actor said that rediscovering Pennywise within himself was a breeze… but the show won’t just have him performing the same old horrifying tricks. Said Skarsgård,
I don’t know why, but Pennywise is very accessible for me. So in terms of getting back into it, it was just like ‘Da da dah!’, and he explodes out. He’s so defined, he’s sort of dormant but very easily activated. We explored things that we haven’t explored in the movies – particularly one side of it, which I can’t go into. I hope the fans are excited.
Is there a chance that what Bill Skarsgård is teasing here is having Welcome To Derry more fully explore the origins and perspective of Pennywise? The actor has previously discussed a flashback scene from the 2017 movie that was cut, so it doesn’t seem outside the realm of possibility that the material will find its way into the prequel show. It could also hopefully be a way for the turtle Maturin to finally have a place in the canon… but I don’t want to get ahead of myself with speculation.
Much has been kept secret about Welcome To Derry as it has gone through production, and it is on track to premiere on an unspecified date in 2025 (one of as many as six Stephen King adaptations that may arrive during the calendar year). Andy and Barbara Muschietti are producing the series following their work making the IT movies, and Jason Fuchs and Brad Caleb Kane are the credited showrunners. In addition to featuring Bill Skarsgård, the talented ensemble cast of the show includes Chis Chalk, Jovan Adepo, James Remar, Taylour Paige, Stephen Rider, and Madeleine Stowe.
The expectation is that Welcome To Derry won’t be premiering on HBO until Halloween season in 2025, but we here at CinemaBlend are keeping a close eye on the project and will continue to provide news and updates about it as it gets closer to its eventual debut.
After Decades, Stephen King’s Maine Radio Stations Are Going Off The Air
Music, particularly rock and roll, has long had a significant place in the legacy of Stephen King. From musician characters (like Larry Underwood in The Stand), to quoted song lyrics in novels (like “Blitzkrieg Bop” in Pet Sematary), to playing guitar for the band The Rock Bottom Remainders, the author’s passion for aural art is multifaceted. For decades, he has even owned multiple radio stations in his home state of Maine… but that particular venture will be coming to an end when 2024 comes to a close.
The Associated Press has reported that the three radio stations owned by Stephen King – WKIT-FM a.k.a. “Stephen King’s Rock ‘n’ Roll Radio Station”, WZON-AM Retro Radio, and WZLO-FM – will be off the air on December 31. In an official statement, King said,
While radio across the country has been overtaken by giant corporate broadcasting groups, I’ve loved being a local, independent owner all these years. I’ve loved the people who’ve gone to these stations every day and entertained folks, kept the equipment running, and given local advertisers a way to connect with their customers.
Stephen King first got into the radio game in 1983 with the creation of WZON (which was named after his book The Dead Zone), and while the newswire says it “went through a few permutations before closing,” it was reacquired by the author in 1990.
It’s a shame that this is happening, both for the employees and loyal listeners in Maine and because of what it says about the modern state of independent media. Hopefully the stations’ final weeks on the air will be filled with a lot of great memories and a lot of great music.
How Will The Life Of Chuck’s New Release Date Impact Its Award Chances? Let’s Discuss
At present, there are a few Stephen King-related release date mysteries in 2025. As noted earlier, we don’t know exactly when Welcome To Derry is going to have its premiere on HBO, but we also don’t know when The Institute will eventually arrive on MGM+, and Lionsgate has not yet officially announced distribution plans for Francis Lawrence’s The Long Walk (which completed production this summer). Those projects are maintaining ambiguity, but this week did provide some clarity for Constant Readers: Mike Flanagan’s The Life Of Chuck is now scheduled to hit theaters on May 30, 2025.
It’s a somewhat surprising call by Neon – which acquired The Life Of Chuck for distribution following its exceptionally successful world premiere this fall at the Toronto International Film Festival. For one, it is going to be dealing with a lot of big screen competition, as both Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning and the live-action Lilo & Stich remake will be arriving in time for the Memorial Day holiday one week earlier, and Columbia Pictures has put a flag on the same date for Karate Kid: Legends. Additionally, the choice may present some challenges when it comes to the film’s award season chances.
As I’ve previously noted here in The King Beat, the reason why the latter point stands out is because of the leg up that The Life Of Chuck has already gotten. The new Mike Flanagan movie was the recipient of this year’s coveted Toronto International Film Festival People's Choice Award – and that’s significant because of an established history of winners eventually going on to receive Best Picture nominations at the Academy Awards (it has now happened 12 years in a row). If Neon wants that very special streak to continue, the company is going to have to push hard during “For Your Consideration” season in 2025, as it’s not uncommon for critics groups/film organizations to demonstrate short term memories/recency bias (hence why prestige titles tend to be released in the final months of any given year).
The Life Of Chuck could be the first Stephen King movie nominated for Best Picture since The Green Mile in 2000 – but with the announced release plans, Neon will likely have to make a big award season push come November/December 2025.
That brings us to the end of this edition of The King Beat, but you can be sure that I’ll be back here on CinemaBlend next Thursday with the latest roundup of the biggest news from the world of Stephen King. While you wait, you can learn about the long history of King stories in film and television with my series Adapting Stephen King.
