As a prequel to 2017’s “It” and 2019’s “It Chapter Two,” HBO’s “It: Welcome to Derry” fills in plenty of gaps left by the 2 films. The present can be essential viewing for followers of Stephen King’s novels because it’s set to delve deeper into the “macroverse” and the way in which wherein the writer’s tales are all interconnected. One instance is the character of Dick Hallorann, who’s finest generally known as the pinnacle chef of the Overlook Resort in “The Shining” however who has roots in Derry. Within the 1962-set sequence, he is performed by Chris Chalk, who beforehand portrayed a younger Lucius Fox in Fox’s “Gotham” and Paul Drake in HBO’s short-lived “Perry Mason” origin sequence.
What’s Dick Hallorann doing in Derry? Effectively, any actual fan will certainly know that the character is talked about within the unique “It” novel and it appears for Chalk, explaining as a lot has grow to be a little bit of a chore. The actor spoke at a New York Comedian Con panel (through Leisure Weekly) the place he mentioned, “When folks ask that query I am going, ‘You did not learn the ebook! You are not an enormous fan, are you?'”
The character of Hallorann originated in King’s 1977 novel “The Shining,” whereby he kinds a bond with the younger Danny Torrance as a result of their shared telepathic skills. He was famously performed by Scatman Crothers in Stanley Kubrick’s 1980 adaptation of the ebook, the place he took on the same mentor position. However in “It,” which was launched in 1986, we study that Hallorann was a member of the Derry neighborhood in the course of the time wherein “Welcome to Derry” is about. As such, he is truly a fairly large a part of the brand new sequence, which it appears will current a a lot totally different model of Hallorann than followers have seen beforehand.
Dick Hallorann was at all times part of Derry’s historical past
“Welcome to Derry” is overseen by Andy and Barbara Muschietti, who had been answerable for the 2 “It” movies. With their new present, the pair had been wanting to develop upon the story they beforehand informed. As Andy informed SFX Journal, “What I would like the viewers to really feel is that the whole lot they learn about It’s simply the tip of the iceberg.” Meaning we’ll be getting extra of an perception into the bigger Stephen King-verse, however we’ll additionally see how these tales are linked on a extra native stage, as evidenced by Dick Hallorann’s inclusion.
The character has been portrayed by a number of actors through the years. In ABC’s 1997 “The Shining” miniseries, Hallorann was performed Melvin Van Peebles, whereas Carl Lumbly portrayed the character’s ghost within the 2019 “Physician Sleep” adaptation (which tried to reconcile the conflicting views of Kubrick and King). The HBO present will subsequently give us our fourth on-screen Hallorann. As followers of the unique “It” will know, the character turned a part of Derry’s historical past when he co-founded the city’s Black Spot bar. After the bar is burned down by a white supremacist group, Hallorann used his Shining skill to rescue survivors, together with Will Hanlon, father of Mike Hanlon, the latter of whom would grow to be one of many members of The Loser’s Membership in “It.”
Previous to the arrival of “Welcome to Derry,” we realized that this Black Spot sequence would truly be tailored as a part of the brand new sequence. That is sensible given the present’s give attention to racial tensions in Derry, as showcased in the “Welcome to Derry” trailer. However it additionally signaled that Hallorann could be a outstanding a part of the brand new sequence, and now we all know extra about what to anticipate with Chalk’s portrayal.
Dick Hallorann is a perfect character for It: Welcome to Derry
In the course of the NYCC panel, Chris Chalk supplied extra of an perception into how his youthful model of Dick Hallorann differs from the portrayals we have seen to date. “Welcome to Derry” will current a youthful, extra rough-around-the-edges model of the character, with Chalk saying, “Dick thinks all of those [Derry residents] are corny. He does not respect a single considered one of them, and that is the journey of Dick.” As Chalk went on to say, “The Dick you already know is tremendous good … Good luck with this Dick.”
What precisely Hallorann is doing in Derry previous to co-founding the Black Spot is not totally clear, however Chalk addressed that query, too: “Dick is in Derry as a result of Dick f****d up, and that is the reality. You may see the present and you will get that.” In response to the actor, this model of Hallorann is coping with some inside struggles and is a good distance from the extra nurturing determine who guided Danny Torrance by his Overlook Resort ordeal in “The Shining.” As Chalk put it, this youthful Hallorann is “at a stage when he has a unique relationship together with his inside self, together with his non secular world, and his greatest worry is himself and shedding management.”
With worry being such an integral theme to “It,” it is sensible for Hallorann to be such an enormous a part of the upcoming sequence, which interrogates that theme each by Pennywise (performed by a returning Invoice Skarsgard) but additionally by the racial tensions in Derry and native residents utilizing worry as an intimidation tactic. Hallorann represents a super entry level for exploring these concepts. In that sense, it might be extra shocking if the Muschiettis left him out of the prequel sequence.
The premiere episode hits HBO on October 26, 2025.
