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It: Welcome to Derry<\/a><\/em> is an ambitious new addition to the world of\u00a0Stephen King<\/a>\u2018s\u00a0It<\/em>. Developed for the small screen by the same creatives who made the back-to-back film series, It<\/em> and\u00a0It: Chapter Two<\/em>, the story turns focus to the finer details of King\u2019s sprawling horror novel called the interludes\u2026 and it includes a character that King fans are bound to know very, very well.<\/p>\n In Season 1 (of a hopeful three), the story of\u00a0Welcome to Derry<\/em> will, in part, give screen life to the gutting history of the Black Spot, a nightclub that is created for and frequented by the Black airmen stationed near Derry, Maine, and is ultimately burned down \u2014 with dozens of patrons deliberately trapped inside \u2014 by white supremacists.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s a big paroxysm of violence that not only reflects the darkness of the story in the book, but also is a bit of a reflection of the violence that happened in America and all the implications of racial tension and segregation that happened back in those days,\u201d Andy Muschietti<\/a> told TV Insider<\/a> of the series\u2019 focus on this incident.<\/p>\n In the novel, the character who relays the devastating story is Will Hanlon, the father of Mike Hanlon. Mike is, of course, one of the central characters in the \u201cLoser Club\u201d who makes a record of It\u2019s resurgences. (In the show, the character Will is a child, and instead, it\u2019s his father, portrayed by Jovan Adepo<\/a>, who centers the same narrative.)<\/p>\n For those who haven\u2019t read the\u00a0It<\/em> novel lately, you may be wondering why the new TV series is going to include the character Dick Hallorann (who\u2019ll be portrayed by Chris Chalk<\/a>) in the story of Welcome to Derry<\/em>. After all, Dick is best known for being the head chef at the Overlook Hotel in The Shining<\/em><\/a>, who recognizes Danny Torrance\u2019s \u201cshine\u201d because he possesses his own psychic gift. He later appears in the sequel Doctor Sleep<\/em><\/a>, continuing his relationship with Danny and his mother, Wendy.<\/p>\n However, Dick is also briefly featured in the backstory for the Black Spot in the It<\/em> novel. In the narrative, Will reveals that after the club began to burn, Dick insists he and another friend will not be able to escape through the main door as the arsonists, sheet-clad members of the \u201cMaine Legion of White Decency,\u201d are blocking the exit. Instead, they need to break through a window and climb out, which they do. The story hints that Dick\u2019s \u201cshine\u201d is part of their salvation, as he insists he knows the door is blocked, even if they can\u2019t see it.<\/p>\n Muschietti said the decision to incorporate Dick into\u00a0Welcome to Derry<\/em> was simple. \u201cFor us, it was a no-brainer. Dick was an outstanding character, not only because he\u2019s in The Shining<\/em> but also because [his] power is definitely ingrained in the story.\u201d<\/p>\n We\u2019ll have to wait and see how else Dick Hallorann plays into the story when the series premieres next month.<\/p>\n