IT: WELCOME TO DERRY Showrunners Share Why THE MUSIC MAN is Featured in the New Series

River City has arrived in Derry. The premiere episode of the new HBO series, IT: Welcome to Derry, features several not-so-subtle nods to The Music Man, including footage from the film and a sinister use of the musical theater favorite "Ya Got Trouble." The first episode of the show is now on HBO Max and serves as a prequel to the movies, which are based on Stephen King's novel.

In an interview with Decider, showrunners Jason Fuchs and Brad Caleb Kane explained the reasoning behind the decision to open the show with the young character of Matty Clements (played by Miles Ekhardt) attending a screening of the movie musical. They credit their choice to their background in theater.

"I started out as an actor on Broadway, like my co-showrunner Brad," Fuchs explained. "I love musical theater. When we started talking about the opening, we actually initially entertained the idea of writing an original musical number, which quickly seemed like that was going to be a heavy lift." 

The duo went on to explain that because The Music Man film was released in 1962, it was period-accurate for the series, which takes place that same year. They were also eager to reframe the echoing word "trouble" in a dark manner to fit the tone of the series. “It felt like a really eerie repurposing of an otherwise happy musical theater number.” Check out the full interview with the showrunners at Decider. 

Episode two of HBO’s original drama series IT: Welcome To Derry will debut early on HBO Max in celebration of Halloween, beginning Friday, October 31 at 12:00am PT/3:00am ET. The episode will also air on HBO on Sunday, November 2 at 9:00 p.m. ET/PT. Subsequent episodes of the eight-episode season will continue to air Sundays on HBO and HBO Max, leading up to the season finale on Sunday, December 14.

The series is developed for television by filmmakers Andy Muschietti and Barbara Muschietti (“IT,” “IT Chapter Two,” “The Flash”) and Jason Fuchs (“IT Chapter Two,” “Wonder Woman,” “Argylle”).  Andy Muschietti directs multiple episodes of the original series.

Set in the world of Stephen King’s “IT” universe, IT: Welcome To Derry is based on King’s IT novel and expands the vision established by filmmaker Andy Muschietti in the feature films IT and IT Chapter Two.

The cast includes Jovan Adepo, Taylour Paige, Chris Chalk, James Remar, Stephen Rider, Blake Cameron James, Arian S. Cartaya, Amanda Christine, Matilda Lawler, Clara Stack, Madeleine Stowe, Rudy Mancuso, and Bill Skarsgård.

Produced by HBO and Warner Bros. Television, developed for television by Andy Muschietti, Barbara Muschietti, and Jason Fuchs, IT: WELCOME TO DERRY is based on the novel “It” by Stephen King. Andy Muschietti and Barbara Muschietti (through their Double Dream production company), Jason Fuchs, Brad Caleb Kane, David Coatsworth, Bill Skarsgård, Shelley Meals, Roy Lee, and Dan Lin are executive producers. Fuchs, who wrote the teleplay for the first episode, and Kane serve as co-showrunners on the project.

Photo Credit: Warner Bros.