From a surface-level perspective, it looks like the kind of horror success that should’ve been renewed immediately. The HBO series premiered to critical acclaim, fantastic buzz, and over 5.7 million viewers. It was an immediate success and one of the biggest original series premieres on the network, behind The Last of Us and House of the Dragon. But over a month removed from the season finale, IT: Welcome to Derry Season 2 still hasn’t been announced.
HBO insists Pennywise lives on, but Batman’s DCU plans may delay IT
HBO President Casey Bloys recently spoke with Deadline and assured fans that there is no reason to be concerned. “Let me say, not in limbo at all. Hardly. It was a huge success for us. Andy and Barbara [Muschietti] are hard at work trying to come up with an idea for a story they’d want to tell for another season. I would happily do it. One of the challenges is, there’s not a book that you’re basing it on, so it’s invention. They want to make sure that they have a story they’re excited to tell. So it’s not limbo other than they need to land on something they’re excited by creatively. We’ll be there.”
While this is true to a certain extent, it’s also important to note that throughout the Season 1 press tour, Andy Muschietti talked repeatedly about the three-season plan the Muschiettis have mapped out. They are going to go backward in time and explore the history of Derry, starting with the events of 1935 and then all the way back to the events of 1908. The cliffhangers set up in Season 1 seemed designed to lead into this new era of the series.
And then, of course, there’s the elephant in the Batcave. Muschietti is also attached to direct Batman: The Brave and the Bold, part of James Gunn and Peter Safran’s DCU, and if that film is finally starting to gain speed with the hiring of a screenwriter, it’s difficult to see Muschietti balancing both projects. Big movies and prestige television don’t mix well, especially when time is of the essence and the director’s time is being divided.
Of course, all of this doesn’t mean Pennywise is being forgotten. Bloys’ comments seem to indicate that the show is still expected to be made, but timing is everything, especially when DC’s Batman reboot is an absolute priority for Warner Bros. Discovery. If there’s a battle being waged between these two properties, Gotham City probably wins in the end.
So, to answer the question, Batman is not killing Pennywise. However, he may be making him wait. For now, however, IT: Welcome to Derry Season 2 seems inevitable, just on pause until the timing is right.
