It: Welcome To Derry Star Bill Skarsgård Teases A "Hardcore" Pennywise 6 Years After Last Playing The Terrifying Clown

It: Welcome to Derryoffers a “hardcore” Pennywise, teases star Bill Skarsgård, promising the Max show won’t be “G-rated.” Andy Muschietti’s two-partITadaptation finally brought Stephen King’s famed horror epic to the big-screen, with Skarsgård making a chilling killer clown. Perhaps surprisingly, Skarsgård will return as Pennywise inWelcome to Derryseason 1, Max’s highly-anticipated spinoff series.

Any concerns thatWelcome to Derrymeans to present a softened version of Pennywise should be put to bed by new remarks from Skarsgård, who spoke about the show’s version of the alien child-killer to Josh Horowitz ofHappy Sad Confused. Max’s Pennywise, the star assured, will be every bit as evil as in the movies (viaFangoria):

An edited image of Pennywise the Clown from It with the Loser’s Club in the background.

“It’s pretty hardcore, man. It’s not the G-rated Pennywise.”

Skarsgård then discussed his decision to return as Pennywise, admitting that he thought his monster-playing days were over after the double-dip ofITand his new vampire movieNosferatu:

“I felt like I was done with it, in a way. It was also because I was shooting [Nosferatu], I was doing Orlok. To me it just felt like this is the nail in the coffin on my monster roles. Pun intended. I did feel like I was kind of over it and wanted to do different things. The Pennywise thing as well, I’ve been quite defined by it.”

“It was fun. I enjoyed it more than I thought I would, actually, and there’s parts of it where we got to explore sides of old Pennywise that we haven’t seen. And that’s fun. I remembered how much I enjoy working with Andy and we do have a lot of fun together. I think there’s some cool stuff in there that we haven’t seen that I’m excited for the people to watch and enjoy hopefully.”

What This Means For Welcome To Derry

Expect Pennywise To Be Fully Unleashed

Initial predictions forIt: Welcome to Derrysaw the Max spinoff showtelling tales set in horror author King’s famously haunted fictional Maine community, but did not necessarily see Pennywise himself returning to be part of the story. Those assumptions were turned on their ear with a recent image release confirming that Skarsgård will indeed be back as his horrifyingITcreation.

Welcome to Derryis a prequel series set during the 1960s

It was surprising to learn that Skarsgård had takenWelcome to Derry, and it seems the actor himself did not expect to ever don Pennywise’s clown makeup again, but Skarsgård seems to enjoy playing the character. He promises that the show will have some fresh elements, exploring “old Pennywise,“and offering other “cool stuff” that hasn’t been seen before. Given that Max is a streaming service, there was no particular reason to fear Pennywise might be toned-down, but it’s nonetheless reassuring to hear straight from Skarsgård that this iteration of the character will retain his fearsomeness.

Our Take On Hardcore Pennywise In Welcome To Derry

A G-Rated Pennywise Would Be Pointless

It’s yet to be seen how much Pennywise viewers will get whenWelcome to Derryarrives in 2025. There could be just a peppering of the killer clown, as the show focuses on other characters. A recentWelcome to Derryteaser trailerpreviewed lots of dark goings-on in Derry, but the series could easily have implied the evil influence of Pennywise on these events, instead of fully showing the character. This may have been a risky move, however, given the character’s popularity, and the expectations of casual viewers checking in to see more of the killer clown.

It: Welcome to Derrywith Pennywise only existing as an unseen spirit of darkness might be an interesting idea to explore, but embodying that spirit, with Skarsgård back in makeup, is the safer option commercially. Since the show is bringing the character back, it must unleash the full Pennywise experience. No Pennywise might be intriguing, but G-rated Pennywise would be completely pointless.