Aahana SwrupIn ‘It: Welcome to the Derry,’ several new characters are introduced to co-creator Andy Muschietti’s ‘It’ universe. The prequel series finds its footing 27 years prior to the first film’s events, in 1962, Derry, Maine. At the start of the year, a kid named Matty ends up going missing under mysterious circumstances. Consequently, months later, some of his friends find themselves undertaking an investigation into their town’s history of missing children, inadvertently becoming Pennywise’s next targets in the process.
However, a different type of horror unravels on the other side of the town. Leroy Hanlon, a Korean War veteran and a skilled Air Force Major, joins the town’s base for a new assignment. Alongside a few unfriendly, bigoted faces, the Major also meets Dick Hallorann, one of the servicemen at the DAFB. Interestingly, fans of Stephen King’s work may feel a sense of familiarity surrounding the character.
Dick Hallorann is a Character in the Stephen King Shared Universe
Dick Hallorann is an entirely new character to Andy Muschietti’s ‘It’ franchise. Yet, ‘It: Welcome to Derry’ is far from his first on-screen appearance. In fact, the character has previously been featured in three different projects, with three different actors stepping into the role. Perhaps his most well-known appearance is in Stanley Kubrick’s 1980 film ‘The Shining,’ wherein he’s portrayed by Scatman Crothers. The character, who is the Overlook Hotel’s head chef, is also present in the sequel film ‘Doctor Sleep,’ and the 1997 mini-series ‘The Shining.’ All of these on-screen adaptations are based on Stephen King’s work. However, ‘The Shining’ and ‘Doctor Sleep’ aren’t the only King novels that mention the character.
Hallorann is also referenced in the ‘It’ novel, particularly in connection to the burning of the Black Spot, a tragic incident which unfolded in Derry in the 1930s. In the novel, Mike Hanlon learns about the white supremacist attack on the establishment from his father, Will. In regaling the story, he mentions Dick Hallorann, who was present at the Black Spot during the attack and helped many escape. It’s alluded that his escape plan had something to do with his “shine,” aka his psychic abilities. ‘Welcome to Derry’ fine-tunes a few details, specifically the de-aging of Will, the inclusion of Leroy Hanlon, and the change in the 1960s period setting. Still, these changes are primarily made to maintain the timeline of the overarching franchise. Therefore, it’s no surprise that the series decided to include Hallorann’s iconic character in the narrative as an integral part of the story of the Black Spot.
Chris Chalk Plays the Role of Dick Hallorann in It: Welcome to Derry
Dick Hallorann’s previous appearance in adaptations of Stephen King’s work has allowed many actors to deliver commendable performances in the character’s shoes. So far, Scatman Crothers, Melvin van Peebles, and Carl Lumbly have stepped into the recognizable role. In ‘It: Welcome to Derry,’ Chris Chalk takes up the role, bringing his own unique twist to Hallorann’s story. Since his version of the character explores Hallorann’s powers in his younger years, his ability to deal with the experiences remains considerably different. “The thing that Dick fears is himself,” Chalk told Entertainment Weekly. “You’re gonna meet him at a stage when he has a different relationship with his internal self, with his spiritual world, and his biggest fear is himself and losing control.”
Chalk began acting in the mid-2000s, landing many roles across movies and TV alike. He has multiple acting credits across the ‘Law & Order’ franchise and has been a part of 2010’s Broadway production of the play’ Fences.’ However, it wasn’t until the 2010s that the actor began working on some of his memorable performances and projects. In 2013, he played the role of Jody Adair in ‘Justified’ and Clemens in the critically acclaimed film ’12 Years a Slave.’ He also had prominent roles in beloved shows like ‘Homeland,’ ‘The Newsroom,’ ‘Complications,’ and more. Perhaps his most iconic role comes from his multi-season appearance in ‘Gotham’ as Lucius Fox. He also has more recent titles like ‘Godzilla vs. Kong,’ ‘Shining Girls,’ ‘Perry Mason,’ and more under his belt. In 2023, he also made his directorial debut with ‘Our Deadly Vows.’ Thus, taking on the role of Dick Hallorann seems to be another notch in an ever-growing filmography.
Read More: Who is Abby Kaplan? Who Plays Her in Nobody Wants This?
You must be logged in to post a comment.