Season 2 of ‘Welcome to Derry’ Will Take Viewers Back to 1935: Why the Long-Delay Rumors Don’t Hold Up

Fan communities have been actively spreading word that production on Season 2 of “It: Welcome to Derry” has been paused and that the follow-up won’t arrive for another two or three years. But there’s no reason to panic yet: neither director Andy Muschietti nor HBO representatives have said anything about freezing or rescheduling the shoot.

The confusion stems from the lack of an official schedule. HBO has never publicly announced a premiere date for Season 2 — not 2027, not 2028. All earlier reports of a release next fall were just fan predictions based on the production cycle of Season 1. Since no official start date for filming exists, it’s incorrect to talk about a “delay” or plans falling through.

In fact, work on the follow-up is already well underway. HBO officially renewed the series back on August 17, 2026, naming Brad Caleb Kane as showrunner.

The Bradley Gang Massacre and the Atmosphere of the Great Depression

The writers’ room is already in place and working on new episodes. As Andy Muschietti told Variety, Season 2 will jump back one cycle of Pennywise’s hibernation — from 1962 to 1935. For fans of Stephen King’s original novel, that means adapting one of the bloodiest episodes in the cursed town’s history: the locals’ massacre of the Bradley gang.

The shift in era will radically change the show’s atmosphere. The 1930s were the height of the Great Depression. According to Muschietti, the town will be steeped in poverty, and many of the new characters will be unemployed or homeless. That will create an oppressive social backdrop even before the ancient evil wakes up in the sewers.

If the show is successfully renewed in the future, the creators intend to keep moving further into the past in 27-year increments. A potential third season would cover the early 20th century — above all the infamous 1908 explosion at the Kitchener ironworks, which killed more than a hundred children.