IT Welcome to Derry Season 2 is officially moving forward at HBO, with the horror series returning to an earlier chapter of Derry’s history. HBO renewed the show on August 17, 2026, confirming that the next season will be set in 1935 during the Great Depression. The story will center on the Bradley Gang, a group of bank robbers whose stop in Derry becomes a deadly encounter with the town’s supernatural evil.
The renewal also brings an important change behind the scenes. Brad Caleb Kane, who worked as a co-showrunner on the first season, will serve as the sole showrunner for Season 2. Andy Muschietti and Barbara Muschietti will remain involved as executive producers.
HBO has confirmed the new setting and central storyline, but it has not announced a premiere date. The network also has not released a full Season 2 cast announcement. That leaves several production details open while the creative team develops the next chapter.
HBO officially renews the series
HBO has now made the second season official after months of questions surrounding the show’s future.
The first season became a major success for the network and ranked among the top four series premieres globally in HBO Max history. That performance gave HBO a strong reason to continue exploring Stephen King’s world through a television format.
The renewal does not simply continue the events of the first season. Instead, the series will move backward in time.
Season 1 was set in 1962. Season 2 will travel back to 1935, creating a new historical setting and a different group of central characters.
That structure fits the show’s approach to Derry. The town has a long history of violence, and the series can explore different periods without following one group of characters throughout every season.
Season 2 will take place in 1935
The confirmed setting for Season 2 is 1935.
That year places the story during the Great Depression, a period when economic hardship affected communities throughout the United States. The new season will use that historical backdrop as part of its story rather than returning to the 1962 setting from the first season.
The 27-year jump backward also fits the larger timeline established by the series.
Season 1 explored Derry in 1962, while the new story moves to an earlier period. This lets the show examine another cycle of violence connected to the town and the supernatural presence that has haunted it for generations.
Andy Muschietti has previously discussed the decision to explore 1935. He indicated that the second season would deal with the difficult social realities of the period, including the hardships created by the Great Depression.
The setting therefore plays an important role in the new story.
Derry will look and feel different in 1935. The characters will live in an America shaped by economic uncertainty, poverty and social tensions. Those conditions provide the foundation for the next chapter of the horror story.
The Bradley Gang will be at the center of the story
HBO has confirmed that Season 2 will focus on the Bradley Gang massacre.
The Bradley Gang is presented as a group of bank robbers who stop in Derry to obtain ammunition. Their visit turns into a horrifying confrontation with the evil connected to the town.
The story comes from the history of Derry established in Stephen King’s It.
The television series has already shown that Derry’s past contains numerous episodes of unexplained violence. The Bradley Gang storyline gives the second season another historical event through which the creators can explore that pattern.
Rather than simply repeating the first season’s formula, the new episodes can introduce a different group of people and place them inside another period of Derry’s history.
The Bradley Gang also gives Season 2 a defined historical event around which its narrative can develop.
The Great Depression will shape the new chapter
The 1935 setting is significant because the Great Depression will form part of the backdrop.
The economic crisis affected American families and communities for years. In Derry, the series will place its characters inside that difficult environment while continuing its supernatural story.
Muschietti has indicated that Season 2 will not avoid the darker cultural realities associated with the 1930s. Those themes are expected to be important to the story rather than existing simply as background decoration.
That creates a different atmosphere from Season 1.
The first season used 1962 as its historical foundation. The second will move into a much earlier period when American life looked very different.
The change also gives the production team an opportunity to create a new visual identity for Derry. Costumes, locations, vehicles and everyday life will reflect the 1930s setting.
At the same time, the horror elements remain connected to the mythology established by the first season.
Brad Caleb Kane becomes the sole showrunner
Brad Caleb Kane will lead Season 2 as its sole showrunner.
Kane worked alongside Jason Fuchs during the first season. The new arrangement gives Kane primary creative responsibility for the next installment.
The change does not remove the Muschiettis from the project.
Andy Muschietti and Barbara Muschietti will continue as executive producers. Their involvement maintains a direct connection to the creative team responsible for bringing the It universe to television.
Kane is also familiar with the series because of his work on Season 1.
That experience gives him an established understanding of the show’s characters, mythology and storytelling structure as the series moves into a new historical period.
The change in showrunner is therefore one of the clearest confirmed differences between the first and second seasons.
Andy and Barbara Muschietti remain involved
Andy and Barbara Muschietti remain important parts of the series.
The pair helped develop the television adaptation and previously worked on the It film franchise. Their continued involvement keeps Season 2 connected to the creative vision that established the television series.
The second season will continue exploring Derry as a place where supernatural horror and human history intersect.
The Muschiettis’ involvement also helps maintain continuity even though the story itself moves several decades into the past.
Season 2 will not simply repeat Season 1. Instead, it will use another period of Derry’s history to tell a separate story within the same larger mythology.
What is known about the Season 2 cast
HBO has not announced a complete cast for Season 2.
That means viewers should not treat unconfirmed casting reports as official information.
The time jump provides a clear reason for the cast to change. Season 2 takes place 27 years before the 1962 events shown in the first season. The Bradley Gang storyline also introduces a different group of characters.
Bill Skarsgård’s return has not been officially confirmed as part of the Season 2 cast.
Skarsgård played Pennywise in the first season and also portrayed the character in the It movies. He remains closely associated with the role, but HBO has not announced a confirmed Season 2 casting lineup.
For now, the confirmed information is limited to the creative leadership and story direction.
That distinction is important because several online reports have discussed possible returning performers without an official HBO cast announcement.
There is no confirmed premiere date yet
HBO has not announced when Season 2 will premiere.
This means there is currently no official release day or month for the next batch of episodes.
The renewal itself is confirmed, but production and release details remain separate matters. HBO can announce a renewal before revealing the final production schedule.
As of the latest confirmed update, viewers should not treat a specific 2027 or 2028 date as official.
Reports have discussed possible timing, but HBO has not provided a firm premiere date.
The lack of a date also means there is no official Season 2 episode schedule yet.
Until HBO provides those details, the confirmed information remains focused on the renewal, the 1935 setting, the Bradley Gang story and Kane’s role as showrunner.
Season 2 will tell another story from Derry’s past
The decision to move backward instead of forward is one of the defining features of the series.
A conventional sequel might have continued directly after Season 1. Instead, Welcome to Derry uses different periods of the town’s history to examine the recurring horror connected to Pennywise.
That structure allows the series to introduce new characters without abandoning its central mythology.
The 1935 setting also gives the creators a fresh historical environment.
Viewers will see a Derry that exists decades before the events familiar from the films. The town’s history becomes the main connection between the different eras.
This approach makes the Bradley Gang story particularly important.
The massacre is not simply another event placed in the background. HBO has confirmed it as the central focus of the new season.
The first season established the foundation
Season 1 introduced Derry in 1962 and established the supernatural threat at the center of the story.
The series served as a prequel to the It films while also developing its own characters and historical material.
The first season’s success helped demonstrate that audiences were interested in stories exploring Derry outside the main events of the movies.
The premiere became one of HBO Max’s strongest global launches, helping establish the show as an important title for the service.
The renewal now gives the creators an opportunity to continue that approach.
Instead of stretching the same storyline, Season 2 will introduce a different era and a different historical conflict.
What viewers know for certain
The confirmed Season 2 information can be summarized simply:
- HBO has officially renewed the series.
- Season 2 will be set in 1935.
- The story takes place during the Great Depression.
- The Bradley Gang massacre will be central to the season.
- Brad Caleb Kane will serve as sole showrunner.
- Andy Muschietti remains involved as an executive producer.
- Barbara Muschietti remains involved as an executive producer.
- HBO has not announced a premiere date.
- HBO has not announced a complete Season 2 cast.
- Bill Skarsgård’s Season 2 return has not been officially confirmed.
These details represent the current confirmed status of the series.
Anything beyond them should be treated carefully until HBO makes another official announcement.
What the 1935 setting means for the series
Moving to 1935 gives the show a chance to explore a completely different side of Derry.
The town will exist in the middle of the Great Depression, and the Bradley Gang will become part of its violent history.
The setting also reinforces one of the show’s central ideas: Derry’s horror has existed for generations.
The first season showed that the supernatural threat was not limited to one group of children or one particular year. Season 2 can now examine another period in which the town became associated with tragedy.
That makes the historical setting essential to the story.
The series can explore the people of Derry during a difficult period while showing how the supernatural evil continues to influence the community.
Latest IT Welcome to Derry Season 2 update
The latest confirmed update is that HBO has officially renewed the series for Season 2.
The new season will move from 1962 to 1935 and focus on the Bradley Gang massacre during the Great Depression. Brad Caleb Kane will take over as sole showrunner, while Andy and Barbara Muschietti remain executive producers.
HBO has not announced the premiere date or a full cast.
For U.S. viewers, the next major updates will be the official production, casting and release announcements from HBO.
The confirmed direction is already clear: the story is going back in time, Derry is entering another dangerous chapter, and the Bradley Gang will stand at the center of the horror.
Are you looking forward to returning to Derry in 1935? Share your thoughts and keep watching for the latest confirmed Season 2 updates.