It prequel series, The White Lotus delayed into 2025

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The prequel series to Stephen King’s It and season three of The White Lotus won’t stream until 2025, HBO and Max CEO says.

It’s some disappointing news for fans of Stephen King adaptations and dramatic holidays abroad. Both the It prequel series, titled Welcome To Derry, and season three of The White Lotus will likely not stream on Max (formerly known as HBO Max) until 2025.

Both shows were originally slated for a 2024 release, but the recently-ended writer’s strike and ongoing actor’s strike have impacted the release schedule of various studios and their streaming services. HBO and Max CEO Casey Bloys revealed the delays at a press event in New York, saying “White Lotus’ Season 3 probably would have been in play for 2024, it’s 2025. Welcome To Derry, we had had that scheduled for Halloween of 2024. That’s likely 2025.”

The It prequel series was announced back in 2022. Andy Muschietti and Barbara Muschietti – who directed and produced/wrote 2017’s It and 2019’s It Chapter Two, respectively – are developing and executive producing the show alongside Jason Fuchs. Andy Muschietti is also directing multiple episodes of the show, with Fuchs serving as writer.

The title, Welcome To Derry, comes from the name of the fictional place which serves as the setting for the It films, as well as other Stephen King stories. The town, in Maine, is also mentioned in short stories such as Insomnia and Bag Of Bones.

Welcome To Derry began production in May 2023 and was expected to continue through to the end of the year. The SAG-AFTRA strike has caused delays in filming.

The White Lotus is perhaps best known for its brilliant ensemble cast and the number of Jennifer Coolidge memes it’s generated since it premiered in 2021.

Each season of the show, created by Mike White, has been set in a different location. The first season was based in Hawaii, the second in Sicily, and the upcoming third season takes its cast to Thailand to explore the themes of death and Eastern religion and spirituality. If that sounds uncharacteristically serious for the show, fear not – it’s inevitably going to have that satirically funny edge The White Lotus is known for.

The season was in the early stages of development when the writer’s strike began. It’s likely then that work has only recently restarted on it. In terms of cast, all we know is that Natasha Rothwell is returning as Belinda.

While the extra wait may come as a disappointment to fans, hopefully the extra time the crews have to work on the shows will ensure that they live up to hopes and expectations.

Variety