After John Wick and Nosferatu, Bill Skarsgård Almost Said No to Pennywise in It: Welcome to Derry

Yep, the clown is back. Bill Skarsgård is once again sliding into Pennywise mode for It: Welcome to Derry, a prequel set exactly 27 years before the 2017 movie. And while that timing is a cute nod to the story's 27-year cycle, getting Skarsgård to return was not a done deal at first.

Why Skarsgård almost said no

Director and executive producer Andy Muschietti says Skarsgård hesitated when the series became real. After years of playing grim, heavy characters, the idea of living in Pennywise's head again sounded exhausting. Can you blame him? That greasepaint is a mental health hazard.

"He was a little hesitant at the beginning to play It again... he had played a lot of very dark characters, and he was a little hesitant to go into it again. It takes a toll to live in the head of those characters for a long time... and then something changed. We started discussing all the virtues of this new story and he decided to do it."

Translation: they pitched him hard on a fresh angle, and that flipped the switch.

What changed: Bob Gray

The hook that got him? Welcome to Derry digs into the origins of Pennywise through Bob Gray. Executive producer Barbara Muschietti says they had even once floated a third movie that would explore Bob Gray before he was taken over by It and became Pennywise. That idea ended up evolving into the series, and Skarsgård clearly responded to the chance to play those earlier shades of the character.

Barbara also noted he seemed to be having real fun on set when he was in Bob Gray mode, looser and more at ease than when he's full Dancing Clown. Considering his run since It has included Barbarian, The Crow, Nosferatu, and being the big bad in John Wick: Chapter 4, it tracks that a different flavor of darkness might actually feel like a vacation.

Inside baseball you might appreciate

The 27-years-earlier setting isn't just a random number. It lines up with the recurring cycle in It mythology, so the prequel neatly hits that beat while opening the door to unexplored lore the films only teased. If you've ever wondered where Pennywise came from and how Bob Gray fits into all this, this is that story.

• It: Welcome to Derry is set 27 years before the 2017 It and premieres on HBO on October 26.
• Bill Skarsgård initially balked at returning, worried about diving back into another dark headspace, but signed on after conversations about the new story's focus.
• The series leans into Pennywise's origins via Bob Gray, an idea the Muschiettis once considered as a separate third film.
• Skarsgård's recent grim streak: Barbarian, The Crow, Nosferatu, and the villain in John Wick: Chapter 4. Not exactly a laugh break.
• SFX magazine's new Halloween Horror Special puts It: Welcome to Derry on the cover and hits newsstands Wednesday, October 8. The mag teased the issue on October 2, 2025, and says last year's Halloween edition sold out fast, so maybe grab this one early.
• If you're scanning the rack: look for the SFX cover celebrating the series with interviews and goodies.