Deconstructing Derry with Barbara Muschietti
IT & Welcome to Derry producer on lessons from "The Flash" failure, the state of producing in 2025, and what actually terrifies her after a decade making horror.
Carolina Groppa is an Emmy-nominated producer, speaker, and podcast host spotlighting producers and the human side of Hollywood.
Six years ago, I cold-emailed Barbara Muschietti.
I was a hungry, tenacious producer determined to find a way. Not much has changed, but back then I was in the early days of creating Angle on Producers. Doing the grind we all have to do to build something from nothing. She was already the powerhouse behind IT Chapter One—a movie that broke records with the biggest opening weekend ever for a horror film ($189.7M globally) and grossed over $701M worldwide.
Much to my surprise, I received an enthusiastic yes and an invitation to record at her office on the Warner Brothers lot.
That conversation marked a pivotal moment. It the first time I got to be in dialogue with a fellow Latina who’s also an immigrant, who was out here working her butt off, and who’s a shining example of the success that’s possible when the stars align.
Now, six years later, she’s practically catapulted herself into another stratosphere.
She’s produced IT Chapter Two (bringing the franchise total to $1.17 billion), The Flash, and just wrapped IT: Welcome to Derry—a sprawling and brilliant Max series that took four years and nearly broke her. She’s launched not one but two production companies: Double Dream with her brother Andy, and most recently Nocturna, a genre label with Skydance.
This go around, we explored what it means to be a producer in 2025, watching the industry we love contract in real-time, and how to contend with all of that (especially as new moms!)
Fun!
I had my work cut out for me though. Horror is rarely my cup of tea. I blame my brother for forcing me—ahem—I mean, introducing me to Chucky when I was far too young. A part of me still thinks it’s entirely possible that toys may try to kill me in my sleep. Gotta take that one up with Freud. So yeah, Pennywise haunts me.
But like the overachiever student I am, I knew I had to watch all of Welcome to Derry in preparation for our reunion. The violence toward children hit me completely differently in this chapter of my life. My mouth was actually and literally agape more than once.
But I kept going. And I’m glad I did.
Because underneath the terror, there’s this beautifully crafted quality to the show. Kids on bikes, summer friendships, and pure nostalgia for a time when we could just… roam. Before cell phones. Before social media. Before constant surveillance. When the biggest danger was getting home before the streetlights came on.
It’s boomer vibez to say this, I know, but yeah man, back in my daaayyy!!! I’m part of the last generation that experienced an internet-free childhood, and there’s something so comforting about seeing that on screen, no matter the era.
The show is a exemplary in world-building and practical effects (that pickle jar scene!!) Talking to Barbara about how they made it—through strikes, with child actors literally growing out of their costumes, across nine hours of content—made me appreciate the insane feat even more.
But here’s what struck me most:
Even with $1.17 billion in box office from IT alone. Even with a first-look deal at Warner Brothers and two production companies. Even after producing Mama (one of 2013’s top earners with Guillermo del Toro as EP), working with Jessica Chastain, and collaborating with her brother for over two decades on everything from blockbusters to hundreds of commercials for Coca-Cola, Mercedes, and Ford...
Barbara notes that producing has never been harder, and she’s still “pushing a very, very heavy boulder.”
Tune in as we cover:
✨ What it takes to get a project greenlit in 2025
✨ The LA production crisis and competitive global production realities
✨ Producing Welcome to Derry over 4 years through strikes, with child actors, to create nine hours of TV
✨ Why she takes a photo of the Warner lot water tower every single morning
✨ What actually terrifies her after a decade making horror
Keep creating, keep hustling. And as always, thanks for doing this life thing with me!
Short on Time? Get My 5 Key Takeaways
Here are the most valuable insights from my conversation with Barbara; including quotes, numbers, and strategies that may be useful!
