Esther Sokolow, editor for half of the episodes of the upcoming HBO series It: Welcome to Derry, is a key creative force behind the show’s dark and highly anticipated tone. Having previously served as the First Assistant Editor on It: Chapter Two, Sokolow details her expanded role in shaping the new series, and her close collaboration with director/EP Andy Muschietti.

The premiere of HBO’s original drama series, It: Welcome to Derry, from Warner Bros. Television, debuted last month on HBO Max on Sunday, October 26 . The second episode aired early on in celebration of Halloween on Friday, October 31 on HBO Max. It also aired on HBO on Sunday, November 2. Subsequent episodes of the eight-episode season will continue to air Sundays on HBO and HBO Max, leading up to the season finale on Sunday, December 14. 

Filmmakers Andy Muschietti and Barbara Muschietti, and Jason Fuchs developed the series for television. The series expands the vision Andy Muschietti established in the feature films IT and IT: Chapter Two, basing the logline on Stephen King’s IT novel and setting it within King’s “IT” universe.

Esther Sokolow on Returning to the ‘It’ Universe

Sokolow describes her return to Derry as a really amazing gift. After working on It: Chapter Two, which felt like the closing of a chapter, the opportunity to go backwards 27 years and explore the world again was like a door cracking open. The transition from film to series provided a crucial advantage: time.

While preserving the core elements of the It universe, a classic horror grounded in a coming-of-age journey, the longer format allowed the creative team to delve into darker themes more richly. Specifically, the show explores the world of Derry during the Jim Crow era (1962), offering a deeper, more complex look at the Hanlon family and the underlying racism within the town.

I was really, really fortunate to work on It: Chapter Two. On that film, I was the first assistant editor and I was supporting Jason Ballantine, who was the editor on It: Chapter One and Chapter Two. And then we did The Flash together for Andy [Muschietti] as well. It: Chapter Two was one of those creative experiences—just the lightning in a bottle. It was such a great team with great chemistry, and we were so proud of the film that we made. But because it was the conclusion of the story of The Losers, it was an emotional chapter close for us. It felt like a door that shut, and we said goodbye to this world. Then, on The Flash, when Andy started talking about this idea to delve into the interludes of the book and explore the world again in a show format, going backwards 27 years, this door that I had said goodbye to was cracking open again. To get to step through that creatively was a really, really amazing gift and a vote of confidence.

Going From Film to Series

Sokolow’s role was deeply integrated into the production process from the earliest stages, highlighting Muschietti’s immensely collaborative nature. Sokolow cut parts of the storyboard and pre-vis for complex sequences, such as the movie theater massacre and the station wagon cold open. This process was less about dictating the final cut and more about figuring out the logistical complexities and establishing creative goals for the other departments before cameras rolled.

Sokolow was the only editor present on set for critical sequences, such as the station wagon cold open. Her presence ensured that the footage would seamlessly cut together and helped guide the other editors back in the cutting room by communicating real-time discoveries made during photography.

One of my favorite things about the world of It in the movies is that it’s not just a horror film. This is a coming-of-age story about the journey towards adulthood, the feeling of loss of innocence, and how you fit in your place in the world. I find those themes really, really powerful. So it was very clear going back into a TV format that we were still going to have this era’s Losers’ Club. Something scary is really effective when you have these innocent children who have done no wrong, and you can’t help but empathize and fear for them. So knowing that this [show] would explore those themes from the film that I love so much was really exciting.

And then because it was TV, it meant that we had so much more time to explore those characters and you could really live with them. It also gave us the opportunity to explore some darker themes more richly. Since the backdrop is 1962, that’s the Jim Crow era, and there’s this underbelly of racism in America. Derry is really this time capsule of what that looks like and feels like. The show is following those interludes, which means that we got to explore what the Hanlon family was like when they arrived in Derry. Those are really heavy themes, and it was great to feel like we could do justice to what it feels like to be a Black airman with responsibility in a military environment that really doesn’t want your Blackness to be overt. And then, the submissive housewife who herself has a sense of right and wrong and “my voice matters”. It was really great to get to explore those themes more fully.

You can now stream the first two episodes of It: Welcome to Derry on HBO Max. Subsequent episodes of the eight-episode season will continue to air Sundays on HBO and HBO Max, leading up to the season finale on Sunday, December 14. The series stars Jovan Adepo, Taylour Paige, Chris Chalk, James Remar, Stephen Rider, Blake Cameron James, Arian S. Cartaya, Amanda Christine, Matilda Lawler, Clara Stack, Madeleine Stowe, Rudy Mancuso, and Bill Skarsgård.