Fans of Stephen King’s terrifying universe will return to an even darker version of Derry in It: Welcome to Derry Season 2, with creator Andy Muschietti confirming that the upcoming season will explore the town’s troubled history during the 1930s. The new storyline will move back 27 years before the events of the first season and adapt elements inspired by one of King’s original novel interludes.
Speaking with Variety, Muschietti revealed that the creative team is already working on the next chapter, which will focus on the Bradley Gang Massacre, a violent event referenced in Stephen King’s It. The storyline will explore a period when Derry was shaped by economic hardship, crime, and social struggles, while continuing to expand the mythology surrounding Pennywise.
Season 2 Will Show a Different and More Brutal Side of Derry
Unlike the first season’s setting, which explored a community hiding beneath the appearance of normal suburban life, Season 2 will introduce a much harsher version of the town. Muschietti explained that the 1935 timeline will reflect the struggles of the Great Depression era, where many residents are fighting simply to survive.
“We’re very excited, we’re in the writers’ room right now,”
Muschietti told Variety while discussing the development of Season 2. He added that the new episodes will focus heavily on the desperation and hardships affecting the people of Derry during that period.
“There’s gonna be a lot of that depression-era hustling in the air in our characters. Everybody’s trying to get by and survive the circumstances. They are gonna do crazy things,”
Muschietti said. He also confirmed that the series will not ignore the difficult cultural realities of the 1930s.
“And of course, the social, cultural, horrible things that were happening in the era, too. We’re not going to skip those. [They are the] very center and the heart of our story,”
the creator explained.
The shift in setting will also change the visual identity of Derry. Instead of portraying a town where children experience horror beneath a familiar suburban environment, Season 2 will present a community already damaged by poverty and despair.
“In this case, on the surface, Derry is a graveyard almost. It’s a carcass of something because people are depleted, poor, tired, jobless, homeless,”
Muschietti said. He added that many of the younger characters will be orphans or runaways, creating a much different atmosphere compared with previous It stories.
Despite the bleak environment, Muschietti noted that hope will remain an important theme. The new group of characters will continue to represent the resilience that has always existed within the world of It.
The 1935 storyline comes from one of the historical sections of Stephen King’s original novel, allowing the creators to expand on events that were only briefly mentioned in the book. Muschietti previously revealed that his vision for Welcome to Derry involves exploring multiple time periods connected to Pennywise’s history, including 1962, 1935, and 1908.
The creator also teased that family connections will continue linking different eras together.
“There will always be the connection, there’s a family tree that appears,”
Muschietti said.
Season 1 of It: Welcome to Derry is currently available on HBO Max, while Season 2 remains in development with no official release date announced yet.
