Stephen King reveals the one novel he refuses to continue

Stephen King says he has no plans to write a sequel to HBO’s IT: Welcome to Derry despite renewed interest in Pennywise.

King addressed the idea years ago during a 2013 Reddit Ask Me Anything session. When asked about continuing the story, he turned down the idea bluntly.

“I don’t think I could bear to deal with Pennywise again. Too scary, even for me,” the American author responded.

First published in 1986, It follows seven children who are stalked by an ancient evil that feeds on fear. The entity most often appears as Pennywise the Dancing Clown. The novel became one of King’s most influential works and cemented Pennywise as a horror icon.

The book has been adapted multiple times. A 1990 television miniseries featured Tim Curry in the role. Decades later, the story returned with two major films. The first, released in 2017, became the highest-grossing horror movie of all time. Its sequel, IT Chapter Two, arrived in 2019.

The franchise continues with HBO’s IT: Welcome to Derry. The series acts as a prequel and is set 27 years before the events of the films. It explores the early history of Pennywise and the town of Derry. The first season concluded on December 14.

Curry recently reflected on his own connection to the character. In his 2025 memoir Vagabond, he wrote that he already had a fear of clowns when he accepted the role. He said playing Pennywise made him deeply uncomfortable. That discomfort, he explained, was part of why he agreed to take it on.