‘It: Welcome to Derry’ creators on monsters, bigotry and fascism

Mutant killer child. Lampshades and pickle jars come to life. Sinister sewer. A demonic clown who preys on children.

HBO Max”Ono: Welcome to DerryThe latest adaptation of Stephen King's epic 1986 novel about a deadly clown named Pennywise has already been making waves since its October 26 premiere with its mix of evil events and nightmarish imagery.

First episode with Robert Preston's warning “You're in trouble” The classic musical The Music Man provides a sinister introduction to the horrors that follow. The gruesome scenes revolving around the birth of a child in the first two episodes will likely make some viewers close their eyes. (Episode two will be released Friday on HBO Max in time for Halloween and will air regularly on Sunday at 9:00 pm PT on HBO.)

Prequel to the 2017 and 2019 It films. “It: Chapter Two” The new drama, both directed by Andy Muschietti, is set in 1962 in the fictional town of Derry, Maine. Bill Skarsgård, who played Pennywise in the films, will reprise his role this season.

The large ensemble of child actors and adults includes several black characters, including Air Force Major Leroy Hanlon (Jovan Adepo); his wife Charlotte (Taylor Page), Jackie Kennedy's pillbox-hat-wearing civil rights activist; and son Will (Blake Cameron James). The film also stars Hank Grogan (Steven Ryder), the town projectionist, and his teenage daughter Ronnie (Amanda Christine).

Developed by Muschietti, his sister Barbara Muschietti and Jason Fuchs, the filmmakers prioritized increasing the films' intensity. But the Muschietti siblings add that they also bring a message to the chaos. Many black characters face bigotry and resistance in a predominantly white city, reflecting the challenges people of color currently face.

“Stephen is a master at weaving these themes into his stories, and it’s impossible to imagine doing one of his stories without this texture at the center,” said Barbara Muschietti.

The Muschiettis, during a video call, discussed the possibility of delving deeper into Pennywise's story, having their young actors act like 1960s kids and what gives them nightmares. This interview has been edited for length and clarity.

How soon after the release of the two It films did the idea of ​​going deeper into the world of Pennywise come up?

Andy Muschietti: The novel served as inspiration. All these mysteries still linger, mysteries deliberately left unresolved in the book. Part of the greatness of the novel is that you read 1,200 pages and at the end you still have no idea what “It” is or what it wants. This is all speculation. We talked to Bill about how great it would be to write an origin story for Bob Gray, this mysterious character, and give him the opportunity to play the human side, the man behind the clown. It's about solving the puzzle and connecting the stories that lead into each other, creating a story whose ultimate goal is to get to the climactic event – the creation of Pennywise, the embodiment of evil.

Barbara Muschietti: Once the idea started to take shape, we contacted Mr. King and he loved the idea. At the beginning of the pandemic, we went to Peter Roth (then head of television at Warner Bros.). He bought it from the room and we've been doing it ever since. Not a day of rest.

“The Music Man” plays a prominent role in the first episode, and goes dark pretty quickly. I'm a huge fan of this film and I don't know if I'll ever look at this joyful musical the same way again.

Andy Muschietti: I actually wanted us to create a musical ourselves that was similar to the 1962 film. But we would waste a lot of money and energy. So, we started searching for the right musical. The Music Man was produced by Warner Bros. in 1962 and is about someone coming to a small town not unlike Derry and talking about problems, problems. And it seemed appropriate.

Barbara Muschietti: We also hope that many young people will be curious and go see The Music Man.

What is the superpower of It that makes this story more and more giving?

Andy Muschietti: There are many things that people relate to. One of them is childhood. Most of us treasure these years as full of magic and imagination. We were all children and we were all afraid of something. The novel is a testament to the virtues of childhood, and those virtues usually disappear when you become an adult. Perhaps adults are always the enemy in the world of It.”

Beyond the clown, there is a whole mythology that has yet to be connected. My goal for this series is to uncover the iceberg underwater.

You couldn't plan the start time of the show, but it looks like advertising on trending topicsddressed up in this show like fanaticism, relate to what is happening on in the country today.

Andy Muschietti: What is happening is not new. It just found a new expression. This went on and on and on in cycles. We have the illusion that everything is fine, but another dictator is trying to come just around the corner. We come from Argentina and we don't have the racial tensions that we had in America for hundreds of years. Most of Stephen's books are songs of empathy in general and condemnation of injustice everywhere. This is important to show, especially in an era when some people in the country are trying to erase history.

Barbara Muschietti: Unfortunately, these horrors continue to haunt us, and racism, anti-Semitism, Islamophobia are still, unfortunately, the human condition of finding someone beneath you to hit. Yes, our history makes us a little more sensitive. We live in the USA, we love this country, but it is amazing…

Andy Muschietti: Alarming.

Barbara Muschietti: … that more people don't care anymore.

Andy Muschietti: This is the same fog that Stephen King spoke about. People, mostly out of fear, look the other way, trying to suppress what they see and forget. These are all parts of the same reflection.

It is immediately clear that some terrifying things will happen in this series, even more terrible than in the films. The image is truly terrible.

Andy Muschietti: Being a werewolf is something that constantly gives and gives, and we had a clear intention of increasing the intensity. You need to meet the audience's expectations – they don't want to see more of the same. And we are also dealing with a different time, when collective fears were different, as the social and political situation of the era – the Cold War, the Cuban Missile Crisis – was just around the corner. Then there is social unrest and segregation.

Barbara Muschietti: I would like to say that this is all very cleansing. We are very good people. I swear.

The show also has a great feel and look when it comes to its depiction of the 1960s.

Andy Muschietti: There was a lot of instinctive respect and attention to precision, aesthetic and spiritual. It was a real team effort from all departments, the same people who worked on the films. There was also a study by the authors.

Most of the actors are children who did not live during that era. How do you convey this era and feeling to young actors?

Andy Muschietti: Lots of talking. Stephen King knows a lot about this because he was a child in the 1950s. The book is so rich in detail. We have Ben Perkins, a child actor coach. And there is imagination. These children love to play and at this age they do well if you don't put a lot of restrictions on them. The only thing that went overboard was the swearing.

Barbara Muschietti: This is the only thing Stephen came back to us with. “There’s too much s**t in there.” We also send the kids with Ben, who essentially sets up camp—bike camp, swim camp, things like that that kids in 2024 wouldn't have access to. We have been doing this since 2016 very successfully. Because of all of this, all of these kids have an incredible bond. They are friends for life. On our filming, they manage to say goodbye to adolescence in the most beautiful way.

How long will you continue to expand »This» Universe?

Andy Muschietti: All day Derry, Derry, Derry. “Welcome” is a storyline that spans three seasons. Why “It” Derry and why Derry “It”? We will eventually reveal a larger story revolving around the existence of Pennywise.

I have to ask – what gives you two nightmares? What's scary for you?

Barbara Muschietti: Fascism. Guns.

Andy Muschietti: Violence in general. We've come so far as a civilization and it seems like we haven't learned anything. What happened to empathy and understanding what makes us similar rather than what divides us?

Barbara Muschietti: And love and respect.