The new HBO series It: Welcome to Derry is expanding the world of Stephen King’s horror universe by finally giving a voice and a story to characters who were previously only mentioned in the background. Actor Kimberly Norris Guerrero, who plays a key role in the prequel, says the show fixes a long-standing absence in the Stephen King universe by bringing indigenous stories and characters to the forefront.
For Guerrero, joining the cast was significant not just because of the prestige of an HBO show, but because it corrects a historical omission. She explains that Native American characters and their stories have been part of the world’s fabric but were never properly included until now.
“It’s the Stephen King universe, and it is a family. But it’s a family that we’ve been left out of,” Guerrero said during a New York Comic Con panel. “The Natives have been there, but we’ve never been able to join you all at the table. And it was like, we have stories too. And boy, what a story” .
The series will explore the history of Derry before the town was even called Derry, revealing a “first Losers Club” that was a group of indigenous kids. Guerrero’s character, Rose, is a direct descendant of those children, inheriting ancestral knowledge passed down through generations about the evil that dwells beneath the town .
The Missing History in the “It” Movies
In the 2017 film It and its 2019 sequel It Chapter Two, the history of Pennywise and the town of Derry is partially explained through a ritual discovered by Mike Hanlon. In the movies, Mike learns about the Ritual of Chüd from local Native American legends. He describes it as an ancient ceremony that was used in an attempt to capture “It” in a sacred bucket—a plot point that some viewers found underwhelming .
The movie’s ritual fails almost immediately. It is revealed that Mike knew it had not worked for the Native Americans from whom he learned about it, and he had even scratched out the part of the bucket’s engraving that showed the ritual’s past failure. This backstory was presented as a cryptic legend, but the indigenous people who originated that knowledge remained a nameless, faceless part of history .
Welcome to Derry is set to give that history a face, a voice, and a story. Guerrero’s character embodies the ancestral knowledge that was only hinted at in the films.
“I play a character named Rose. Rose knows,” Guerrero stated. “It’s undergirding so much of the Stephen King universe is this sense of something is going on with the land. The land remembers, even though we’ve forgotten. And there is something dwelling there that could be very harmful and we don’t understand” .
Derry Itself Is a Character
A recurring theme in discussions about the new series is that the town of Derry is more than just a setting. The show’s creators and cast have emphasized that the town is a character in its own right, one that represents humanity’s capacity for cruelty and its tendency to forget a dark past .
Showrunner Brad Caleb Kane explained that this was a core concept from the start.
“In reading It, Derry is a character, and some of the most horrifying things aren’t about the monster or the entity itself. They’re about the town. Exploring how the people there become desensitized to horrible things felt both chilling and real” .
Co-showrunner Jason Fuchs added that the terror of Derry isn’t confined to the supernatural. “Derry is a scary place, and it’s not only scary because there’s a creature in the sewers,” he said. “It’s also terrifying because some of the people there are capable of things just as monstrous. Some of the most chilling parts of Derry come from flesh and blood, like us” .
A New Look at an Old Fear
The series, which premiered on October 24, 2025, on HBO, acts as a prequel to the recent film adaptations, set decades before the events of the movies . The show begins in 1962, following a family that moves to Derry just as a young boy disappears, awakening the town’s dormant horrors .
The cast includes Taylour Paige, Jovan Adepo, and James Remar, with Andy Muschietti, who directed the two most recent It films, directing the pilot episode . The series aims to be a jumping-on point for new viewers while also deepening the lore for existing fans .
Critics have noted that the show is part of a new wave of television that combines the high production value and serious themes of “prestige TV” with the visceral, pulpy thrills of genre entertainment . It builds out a world that fans thought they knew, proving there are still many dark secrets to uncover in Derry.
For Guerrero, the opportunity to be part of this expansion is the fulfillment of a larger purpose.
“It was such a deep blessing and entire life’s work,” she said. “I’ve spent my life working to bring our stories to the world and to help give space for our voices” .
Also Read: IT: Welcome to Derry – Matty’s Fate and the Shocking Premiere Explained
