Andy Muschietti Continues To Change the Hanlon Family in ‘Welcome to Derry'

Andy Muschietti began his time in Derry, Maine, by making changes to the original story he was adapting: Stephen King’s IT. First and foremost, he shifted the timeline of the story from the late 1950s and mid-1980s to the late 1980s and 2010s. That’s a big change! The novel very specifically deals with the racial prejudices present in the 1950s and the consumerism and social changes (limited as they may have been) of the 80s. But this is an adaptation after all. Changes must occur, and plenty have started to emerge in the new show, Welcome to Derry.

If anything, I appreciate how willing Muschietti was to make his IT films different from the novel. While his choices weren’t always successful (for me), they allow the story to breathe on its own and not be bogged down by comparisons to the miniseries that preceded it, which was a lot more faithful to the source material, for better and for worse. His Pennywise was different (more alien, which is good), as were his Losers (Beverly was turned into a damsel in distress in the first film, which is bad).

One of the characters most changed from the source material was Mike Hanlon. He’s the only African American child in Derry that we are told about, and his family faces racist attacks from the story’s bully, Henry Bowers, which are encouraged by Bowers’ terrible father. At one point, Henry poisons Mike’s dog, and his dad gives him his first beer because he’s proud of him.

Mike’s connection with his own father involves him hearing stories about his time in the military, dealing with racism, while he lay dying of cancer. His dad also tells the story of a horrible fire at the Black Spot, a club/bar meant for Derry’s African American residents, where he is saved by a fellow army man by the name of Dick Halloran. If you’re only familiar with IT through Muschietti’s adaptations, those details may sound foreign to you.

One of the biggest changes Muschietti made in IT: Chapter One is that Mike’s parents are already dead when we meet him (so don’t get too attached to young Will in the new show). They perished in a house fire, and Mike lives with his grandfather, Leroy, who is a farmer and very strict with Mike. The first time we meet him, he’s forcing Mike to kill a sheep with a cattle gun. In Welcome to Derry, he’s a (relatively) fearless military man filled with cautious optimism. Don’t expect that to last either.

Muschietti’s films are also void of any direct racism toward the Hanlons. There is some indirect racism. Henry Bowers throws a lit cigarette at young Mike while yelling, “Stay out of my town.” We can assume why, but it’s never stated as directly as it is in the novel or miniseries. Welcome to Derry brings the racial tension front and center. Leroy deals with it the moment he arrives at his new base, and it grows from there.

Leroy being in the military also brings another big change. It is Leroy who knows Dick Halloran in this version of events, not Mike’s father. The newest episode even hints that they are being brought together for the same cause, which appears to be the military hunting Pennywise. That is a massive change for a plethora of reasons that I won’t get into until the show gives us more details. Regardless, I’m apprehensive.

It also seems like they are leading to the fire at the Black Spot. Dick visits a bar with two friends from the army who are also Black, and they wonder if there’s any better place for them to drink in Derry after dealing with some racist employees. If that fire were to happen, it’s safe to assume that Leroy would be there with Dick.

To that end, Charlotte Hanlon (Leroy’s wife) was revealed to be a civil rights advocate in the most recent episode. She was also shown to be more fearless than her husband and willing to yell at some white kids who were beating a child. She rules! But she is not in either of the two IT films with a more bitter Leroy. Do with that information what you will. I think she could be just as likely to escape Derry on her own as perish, but I don’t see her leaving Will behind, and we more or less know that he dies in Derry.

Again, it’s not that changes shouldn’t be made in adaptations. They should. But I’m wary when it comes to the Hanlon family in particular. Muschietti has already proven capable of doing good by Mike. He gets to join the Losers when they destroy IT as adults, something he’s robbed of in both the novel and miniseries.

He’s also done poorly by him. The death of his parents defines him in the first film, as does his rigid relationship with Leroy. It’s very one-note. In the book, he researches Derry’s history, and it’s connected to his family and journey. In the film, that trait is given to Ben Hanscom. Then, in the sequel, adult Mike is crazed from staying in Derry while the others left. Understandable, but doesn’t give him much aside from being an exposition machine.

I’ll happily continue watching Welcome to Derry cause I’m a sucker for King stuff. I also love that American Fiction’s Cord Jefferson is a producer and writer on the show. There has also been some terrifying stuff so far! However, I have plenty of questions, and it’s unclear if the show will provide the answers.