IT: Welcome to Derry is certainly a labor of love, and this was evident when Sportskeeda sat down with the men and woman behind the terrifying new HBO series. Inspired by a world and characters from Stephen King's multiverse, IT: Welcome to Derry combines the familiarity of the iconic book and movies with brand-new elements.And the effort seems to have paid off, in spades. Legendary author Stephen King watched the first episode of IT: Welcome to Derry and praised the opening sequence, stating the following:"WELCOME TO DERRY is amazing. First episode is terrifying." Post by @stephenking View on ThreadsShowrunner Jason Fuchs was touched and told Sportskeeda that King's praise was the highlight of his career:"I think Stephen King having that response is without a doubt the highlight of my career to this point. Stephen King’s work shaped my entire approach to storytelling. The fact that I get to write and create this and build this with Brad at all is a great honor and a joy."Brad Caleb Kane, fellow IT: Welcome to Derry showrunner, asked Fuchs what the praise for the opening sequence meant to him, considering it was an episode he wrote. Fuchs said:"To have Stephen King specifically call out a sequence I wrote, an episode I wrote, it’s an extraordinary honor. And it was extremely validating and fulfilling feeling, after a lot of hard work to make that episode and sequence come to life."IT: Welcome to Derry's opening sequence sets the bar for the rest of the show!The first IT movie was directed by Andy Muschietti and came out in 2017. The terrifying opening sequence features the iconic encounter of a little boy named Georgie and Pennywise the Dancing Clown.Muschietti, who directed much of season 1, knew the bar was pretty high. But he is proud of the opening sequence of the series as well:"The bar was set with the opening sequence of the movie. And I wanted to be consistent with an opening that was intense enough. And also, opening the story with telling the audience that this is a place where no one is safe. 6-year-old kid, whatever."According to him, the opening sequence sets the pace for the rest of the story that unfolds:"Yeah, it’s a way of setting the stakes of this world very early on. That will get you on the edge of your seat for the rest of the story."Much like Fuchs, Muschietti is certainly thrilled with the response to IT: Welcome to Derry from Stephen King:"We’re very happy, obviously, with the blessing of Stephen King, who inspired this in the first place, and he’s our biggest literary hero. Just phenomenal. But that’s been consistent all through this journey."Even though the stories are set in a world created by Stephen King, IT: Welcome to Derry is a departure from the original narrative. Muschietti claimed, however, that the author was all in:"He was open and eager to see where we were going."Catch the premiere of IT: Welcome to Derry on Sunday, October 26, on HBO and HBO Max. Nightmares are guaranteed this Halloween!