Bill Skarsgård expresses reluctance to return as Pennywise in Welcome to Derry, wanting to avoid overexploiting the IT franchise.

Bill Skarsgård revealed that he initially had reservations about reprising his role as the iconic horror character Pennywise in the HBO prequel series It: Welcome to Derry.

In a conversation, the actor expressed that he felt “more hesitant about it going into it than going out of it,” but ultimately found himself having “a lot of fun” during the production of the show.

When the opportunity to play Pennywise again was first presented, he reflected on the success of the two previous films and worried that a TV series might not live up to that legacy. He noted, “You don’t want to milk this one out with a TV show” that could fall short of the films’ achievements.

However, after reviewing the show’s concept, he became convinced. “I feel that, in the end, we explored some parts of Pennywise that we hadn’t seen before or hadn’t done,” he shared. “Andy [Muschietti] and I always have fun together, and I think that we did those aspects of it. Even with Pennywise’s performance, there was like, ‘Okay, here’s a juicy scene, and you see something else from Pennywise, or more of him.’ I had fun with those scenes, for sure.”

Welcome to Derry delves into a new dimension of Pennywise, uncovering the truth behind his origins as Bob Grey and introducing the intriguing twist that Pennywise possesses the ability to foresee the future—potentially targeting the parents of the Losers’ Club kids who will eventually confront him.

As of now, season 2 of It: Welcome to Derry has not been officially confirmed. If it receives the green light, it is expected to adapt the Bradley Gang Massacre, a significant shootout in Derry, and will take place 27 years before the first season, setting it in the 1930s.

All episodes of Welcome to Derry are currently available for streaming.