IT: Welcome to Derry is finally clearing up one major misunderstanding fans have had about Pennywise for years. Many people who only watched the movies believed that Pennywise was simply a scary clown who grew stronger by feeding on children’s fear. But speaking with THR, Andy Muschietti explains that Pennywise is far more than that.

Normally, the misconception is that “It” can only be one thing, one creature at a time. But it’s part of the canon, even in the book, that he creates hallucinations. He creates collective creatures — like when he became the piranha, right? That’s a flock of creatures.

Clarifying how Stephen King’s novels depict Pennywise as a shapeshifter, with the clown form being its image to lure kids, Andy Muschietti mentioned how he tried to be true to the book. Which is why, from the very first episodes, Muschietti began to correct this idea by giving viewers a clearer picture of what “It” really is in King’s world.

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Why Did IT: Welcome to Derry Creators Delay Pennywise’s Iconic Form To Build

After clearing the misconception about Pennywise’s true form, the creators of IT: Welcome to Derry, Andy Muschietti and his wife, Barbara, revealed how they played with this image of Pennywise in the HBO show. Speaking with THR, the duo mentioned making a very careful choice about when to show Pennywise’s famous clown form.

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In the first half of the show, they decided to use a “less is more” approach. This means Pennywise is present, but not in the way fans might expect. His shadow, presence, and influence can be felt from the first scene, but the clown we know from the movies does not appear right away. This slow build makes the tension stronger.

We did “less is more” for half the show, but then we did “more is more.” The idea behind the delayed appearance is the build up of expectation. 

The audience doesn’t know that they want it, but I think it creates a very special feeling. When and where the clown is going to appear was a game that I wanted to play with the audience. 

Even Barbara Muschietti added that Pennywise works best when viewers never get used to him. She explained that Pennywise is a shape-shifter and should always feel unpredictable. If the show showed him too much, the audience would stop feeling scared. Her goal was simple: make sure Pennywise always feels dangerous and unpredictable.

Being a shape-shifter, Pennywise looms large. If you dissect the movies, Pennywise is not in the movies that much, but people feel It a lot when he is on camera. 

The last thing we want is to have an audience get comfortable with Pennywise. We don’t want anybody to get used to his image. He’s unpredictable. He strikes whenever he feels like it.

Together, Andy Muschietti and his wife treated Pennywise like a game, keeping viewers on edge and curious about each scene. By showing him less, they made every moment with him feel bigger.

IT: Welcome to Derry Suffered Several Shortcomings Amid the Hollywood Strikes 

Now, while the creators stayed true to Stephen King’s story, the show faced many challenges during production. IT: Welcome to Derry had to pause filming for eight months because of the WGA and SAG-AFTRA strikes in 2023. According to the couple’s interview with SFX Magazine (via Deadline), the long break created major problems, especially because the team had already filmed most of the three episodes.

We suddenly had to work in different seasons. This is a summer show, but suddenly it wasn’t a summer show anymore. We had to create a different finale with a different climate. 

Andy Muschietti added,

The kids were growing. Voices were changing. Schedules of actors suddenly became hellish. So it was a huge challenge for the studio as well. Listen, I support the writers and the actors. But for the people that were in the process of shooting, it was complicated. 

One of the biggest issues that IT: Welcome to Derry faced was the change in seasons. The show was initially scheduled to take place in the summer, but after the long filming break, the weather no longer met their needs, which made production more complicated.

Additionally, the break also affected the young cast, as the kids grew and their voices changed, making their schedules difficult to manage. However, despite the shortcomings, they persevered to complete the series the right way.

Please share your thoughts on IT: Welcome to Derry. Do you like it better than the films?

IT: Welcome to Derry is streaming in the US on HBO Max.