Stephen King’s New Horror Show Officially Confirms Connection To His 31-Year-Old Classic With 98% RT Audience Score
An upcoming show based on a renowned Stephen King novel has confirmed its connection to one of his most acclaimed 31-year-old horror movies. Although subtle links between several King’s stories have previously been noticed, this new revelation seems intentional and adds an intriguing piece of lore to the upcoming show’s overarching narrative.
2025 has already been a great year for Stephen King adaptations on both the big and small screens. While many movies, like The Monkey and The Life of Chuck, based on his stories have earned high critical acclaim, even shows, like The Institute, have been appreciated for presenting compelling takes on his work.
While only time will tell whether this trend will continue for the rest of the year, an upcoming TV adaptation of Stephen King’s most popular work already seems to be showing immense potential. As its trailers suggest, it not only looks absolutely terrifying but also cross-references to another famous and acclaimed Stephen King movie.
IT: Welcome To Derry’s Trailer Confirms The Inclusion Of The Shawshank State Prison
The Prison Is The Primary Setting For The Shawshank Redemption
In a brief sequence from IT: Welcome To Derry‘s trailer, viewers may notice that it features a bus that has “Shawshank State Prison” written on it. This is a direct reference to Stephen King’s The Shawshank Redemption and its movie adaptation, both of which primarily take place in the titular prison facility.
Given how The Shawshank Redemption is one of Stephen King’s few non-horror stories, many viewers might find it strange that IT: Welcome to Derry includes its central prison. Some might even question why a horror show would even bother drawing connections to a non-horror movie’s setting.
The prison is one of the many narrative devices that have appeared in multiple Stephen King stories, suggesting that its appearance in the upcoming show is just a fun nod to a recurring element from King’s line of work.
However, this reference likely means nothing because even in Stephen King’s original novel, It, the Shawshank Prison has been mentioned quite a few times. The prison is one of the many narrative devices that have appeared in multiple Stephen King stories, suggesting that its appearance in the upcoming show is just a fun nod to a recurring element from King’s line of work.
Andy & Red Are Still In Shawshank During IT: Welcome To Derry Season 1’s Timeline
The Show’s Timeline Aligns With The Movie’s
After seeing the Shawshank Prison bus in IT: Welcome to Derry‘s trailer, it becomes hard not to think about Morgan Freeman’s iconic line from the 1994 film: “I didn’t think much of Andy Dufresne the first time I saw him.” Interestingly, IT: Welcome to Derry‘s timeline seems to align with that of the highly acclaimed film.
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Welcome To Derry: Cast, Story, Teaser Trailer & Everything We Know About The It Prequel Series
HBO’s It prequel series Welcome to Derry will finally flesh out the origins of Pennywise and show how his reign of terror impacted Derry in the 1960s.
The show is set somewhere in the 1960s, and Tim Robbins’ Andy does not escape the facility until 1975. This would mean that Andy and Red are both in Shawshank Prison during the events of the Stephen King show. Although this is a fun bit of trivia, IT: Welcome to Derry will likely have no other connections with The Shawshank Redemption.
