It: Welcome to Derry showrunner promises "unexpected" things from Bill Skarsgård's Pennywise in the rest of the horror spin-off: "[He] has opportunities with this character that the films did not present"

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It: Welcome to Derry showrunner promises "unexpected" things from Bill Skarsgård's Pennywise in the rest of the horror spin-off: "[He] has opportunities with this character that the films did not present" News By Emily Garbutt published 25 November 2025

"You are gonna see Bill doing things you’ve not seen him do in this character yet"

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It may have taken five episodes for Pennywise to turn up in It: Welcome to Derry, but the spin-off's showrunner has teased "unexpected" things ahead for the Dancing Clown.

Although It's most widely known form is Pennywise the Clown, it's a shapeshifting entity that can take any form – which we've seen in the show so far. When It finally turned into Pennywise in this week's long-awaited transformation, It had taken the form of Matty, one of the kids from Derry who went missing in episode 1.

"[Skarsgård’s] performance goes to some unexpected places [in the weeks ahead]," showrunner Jason Fuchs told Entertainment Weekly. "[He] has opportunities with this character that the story of the films did not present. Not only are you getting a really, hopefully, thrilling build-up to seeing Pennywise, you are gonna see Bill doing things you’ve not seen him do in this character yet."

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• It: Welcome to Derry showrunner breaks down the Stephen King spin-off's scariest episode yet: "This is the beginning of a descent into the depths of darkness, terror, and madness"

This is the first time Skarsgård has played the role since 2019's It Chapter Two, so his return has been a long time coming. There are still three episodes left of the season, too, so anything could happen.

"When we started talking about the series as something that was real and tangible, he had played a lot of very dark characters, and he was a little hesitant to go into it again," executive producer Andy Muschietti previously told SFX magazine. "Because, obviously, for someone that takes his work and his art so seriously as him, it takes a toll to live in the head of those characters for a long time."

New episodes of It: Welcome to Derry are released weekly on HBO and Sky. Stay up to date with our It: Welcome to Derry release schedule, or check out our verdict in our It: Welcome to Derry review.

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Contact me with news and offers from other Future brandsReceive email from us on behalf of our trusted partners or sponsorsBy submitting your information you agree to the Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy and are aged 16 or over. Emily GarbuttSocial Links NavigationEntertainment Writer

I’m an Entertainment Writer here at GamesRadar+, covering everything film and TV-related across the Total Film and SFX sections. I help bring you all the latest news and also the occasional feature too. I’ve previously written for publications like HuffPost and i-D after getting my NCTJ Diploma in Multimedia Journalism. 

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Logout Read more New look at Bill Skarsgård's Pennywise in IT: Welcome to Derry proves the reveal was worth the wait    It: Welcome to Derry director says fans are going to have to wait to see Pennywise in the new horror spin-off: "When he appears, he appears in a big way"    It: Welcome to Derry showrunner breaks down the Stephen King spin-off's scariest episode yet: "This is the beginning of a descent into the depths of darkness, terror, and madness"    IT: Welcome to Derry mid-season trailer confirms we'll finally see more of Bill Skarsgård's Pennywise and IT's origins    Following his "very dark" roles in John Wick and Nosferatu, Bill Skarsgård "was a little hesitant" to play Pennywise again in It: Welcome to Derry    It: Welcome to Derry director jokes that the new Stephen King horror series will both "ruin and explain" all the cryptic elements of Pennywise: "What does It want? Why is It there?"    Latest in Horror Shows Buffy star Sarah Michelle Gellar praises director Chloé Zhao's involvement in the revival     Stranger Things creators The Duffer Brothers used the Game of Thrones snowball effect in their storytelling    It: Welcome to Derry showrunner says one of the cruelest moments in episode 5 was originally supposed to be in It: Chapter Two: "It felt like an interesting idea that was wrong"    New look at Bill Skarsgård's Pennywise in IT: Welcome to Derry proves the reveal was worth the wait    New It: Welcome to Derry detail has fans convinced Marge is one of the original Losers' Club's mother, which could spell doom for one of the new characters    It: Welcome to Derry showrunner breaks down the Stephen King spin-off's scariest episode yet: "This is the beginning of a descent into the depths of darkness, terror, and madness"    Latest in News Stranger Things director Shawn Levy says Netflix took a "huge swing" with the sci-fi show, because "on paper, this made not a lot of sense"    Hugh Jackman is "never saying never" about returning to the MCU as Wolverine, but also jokes "they have enough for an AI version of me"    Rockstar co-founder Dan Houser says GTA is so successful because of its "sense of freedom," and because it "smashed together" shooting, driving, and simulation genres in a way games hadn't done before    No, it's not just you – Dune: Awakening NPCs really did become harder as Funcom admits to "undocumented changes" in the survival MMO's last big update, says "we will revert it"    Far Cry is being turned into an anthology TV show with a "new cast", "new setting" and creative powerhouse Noah Hawley involved    It: Welcome to Derry showrunner promises "unexpected" things from Bill Skarsgård's Pennywise in the rest of the horror spin-off: "[He] has opportunities with this character that the films did not present"    GAME REVIEWSMOVIE REVIEWSTV REVIEWS

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