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Dhruv is a Lead Writer in Screen Rant's New TV division. He has been consistently contributing to the website for over two years and has written thousands of articles covering streaming trends, movie/TV analysis, and pop culture breakdowns.
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A trending science fiction show on Netflix right now is based on an acclaimed Stephen King book that has a secret Pennywise link.
Pennywise is primarily known for being the main antagonist in Stephen King's IT franchise. Even in the recent HBO adaptation of the Stephen King book, Pennywise showed up as the main villain, where Bill Skarsgård played him all over again. Interestingly, though, Pennywise is not confined to the one Stephen King book.
The creature's presence is subtly hinted at in another Stephen King sci-fi novel, which also has a TV adaptation that is performing quite well on Netflix right now.
Stephen King’s 11.22.63 and IT Unfold In The Same Universe
11.22.63, which adapts Stephen King's book of the same name, is surging on Netflix and finally getting the attention it has deserved for a long time. Interestingly, it is one of the most acclaimed Stephen King TV adaptations despite making significant changes to the original book's story.
One notable change comes when the show completely deletes a book arc where its main character, Jake Epping, travels back in time and ends up in the town of Derry.
In the book, this sequence establishes that 11.22.63 and IT unfold in the same universe. Jake Epping, played by James Franco in the show, also encounters Richie Tozier and Beverly Marsh in the 1958 timeline during his time in Derry and even feels Pennywise dark presence in the town.
He describes his eerie experience in the town as follows:
"I can tell you one more thing: there was something inside that fallen chimney at the Kitchener Ironworks. I don’t know what and I don’t want to know, but at the mouth of the thing I saw a heap of gnawed bones and a tiny chewed collar with a bell on it. A collar that had surely belonged to some child’s beloved kitten. And from inside the pipe—deep in that oversized bore—something moved and shuffled. Come in and see, that something seemed to whisper in my head. Never mind all the rest of it, Jake—come in and see. Come in and visit. Time doesn’t matter in here; in here, time just floats away. You know you want to, you know you’re curious. Maybe it’s even another rabbit-hole. Another portal. Maybe it was, but I don’t think so. I think it was Derry in there—everything that was wrong with it, everything that was askew, hiding in that pipe. Hibernating. Letting people believe the bad times were over, waiting for them to relax and forget there had ever been bad times at all. I left in a hurry, and to that part of Derry I never went back."
It: Welcome To Derry Has The Perfect Chance To Make Up For 11.22.63’s Missed Opportunity
By flossing over the Pennywise connection from the book, 11.22.63's TV adaptation seems to miss out on a major opportunity to connect two Stephen King stories. However, since the show's limited runtime only allows it to adapt limited parts from the book, it makes sense that it does not include the Pennywise reference.
HBO's It: Welcome to Derry, however, does not have to tread the same path. It has already been established that Pennywise possesses the ability to experience time non-linearly in the series. This brings a new time-travel twist to the Stephen King franchise, allowing it to retroactively weave itself into 11.22.63 without contradicting either story’s internal logic.
If It: Welcome to Derry ends up returning to Rich and Beverly's timeline in future installments just like it did in its season 1 finale, it could also introduce Jake Epping as another key player in its story or at least give him a cameo.
Even if it does not, though, knowing this connection between the two Stephen King stories adds another layer of thrill to the time travel mechanics in 11.22.63 on Netflix.
English (US) ·