IT: Welcome To Derry Showrunner Teases Dick Hallorann’s Journey To The Shining

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Be warned, this contains spoilers for the season 1 finale of IT: Welcome to Derry! Dick Hallorann had a close call with death in the season’s final episode, and co-showrunner Jason Fuchs is hinting at how this sets up another story from Stephen King. Actor Chris Chalk, known for his role in Perry Mason, plays Dick as an airman in 1962. He’s tasked with using his ability to read minds to locate the pillars that are keeping Pennywise trapped in Derry.

Following a terrifying encounter with a malevolent force and the shattering of his mental defenses against dark spirits, Dick began to unravel, reaching a point of near self-destruction. He was ultimately convinced to join forces with Leroy Hanlon and other adults to rescue the children. The conclusion of IT: Welcome to Derry revealed Dick, having regained mastery over his powers, making plans to move to London and pursue a career as a hotel cook.

Although future seasons of the show will explore events earlier in the story, Jason Fuchs hinted there’s more to tell about Dick’s story after the first season of IT: Welcome to Derry. As co-showrunner, he expressed a desire to show what happens to Dick in the years leading up to his appearance in The Shining, noting there’s a significant gap in time between the two stories.

He doesn’t tell Leroy he’s taking a job at a hotel in Colorado; he says he’s going to London. It makes you wonder what happened in Dick Halloran’s life between those two statements. We may never know the answers, but it’s interesting to speculate. Perhaps we’ll find out eventually.

Casting Dick Hallorann in IT: Welcome to Derry was a surprising choice, given his history in Stephen King’s universe. While most know him from The Shining and Doctor Sleep, both the books and movies, Hallorann actually appears briefly in the original IT novel. He’s established as an early member of The Black Spot, a group with special abilities, and uses his telepathy to save people—including the father of future character Mike Hanlon.

According to Fuchs, fifteen years pass between the end of season one of IT: Welcome to Derry and the beginning of The Shining, creating opportunities for further stories featuring these characters. Before the HBO series, Mike Flanagan was tasked with developing a prequel centered on the character Hallorann, connected to his take on Doctor Sleep. However, this project was cancelled due to the 2019 film’s disappointing box office results. Since both the Muschietti brothers and Flanagan, who recently finished the Carrie miniseries and is currently working on The Dark Tower, continue to adapt Stephen King’s work, this time gap could lead to either of them developing a spinoff story.

Even if the show doesn’t get a full spinoff series, the character Hallorann could return in future seasons of IT: Welcome to Derry. The season one finale showed that time is confusing and mixed up inside Pennywise’s mind, which opens the door for exploring the past. This also suggests that Hallorann, who previously encountered IT, might be needed to help again. Bringing back the characters from 1962 could also help explain the events leading up to the Losers’ Club’s first battle with IT, and Hallorann could potentially help resolve some of the mysteries surrounding upcoming deaths.

Be sure to dive into our other IT: Welcome to Derry coverage with:

  • Our guide to what we know about IT: Welcome to Derry season 2
  • How the reveal of Pennywise and Bob Gray’s true origins created 4 new mysteries for IT: Welcome to Derry
  • The show’s expansion of Bob Gray’s backstory after IT: Chapter Two‘s initial change
  • Jason Fuchs on Sophia Lillis’ surprise return as Beverly in the IT: Welcome to Derry ending and what it means for the future
  • Jason Fuchs explaining the ending’s surprise Richie Tozier reveal and how the character is tied to the season’s biggest death
  • Barbara Muschietti on the unique origin behind IT: Welcome to Derry exploring Pennywise’s time-shifting mindset

All eight episodes of IT: Welcome to Derry season 1 are available to stream on HBO Max.

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2025-12-16 04:08