Calling all fans of Stranger Things! We’ve got some exciting news… Not only is the next season of the hit show expected to begin filming in May, but it has now been confirmed that we’re getting a 50s-era prequel.
Of course, the show is one of Netflix’s most successful creations and so it seems natural that a Stranger Things prequel is in the works, especially with the upcoming fifth season expected to be the series last.
The show’s creators: Matt and Ross Duffer are apparently keen to expand the world of the Upside Down but, instead of a TV series, we’re getting a play…
Yep, The Duffer Brothers are turning their creation into a West End show called Stranger Things: The First Shadow.
The synopsis for the play – which is set to open in London’s Phoenix Theatre in late 2023 – explains, ‘Hawkins, 1959: a regular town with regular worries. Young Jim Hopper's car won't start, Bob Newby's sister won't take his radio show seriously and Joyce Maldonado just wants to graduate and get the hell out of town.
‘When new student Henry Creel arrives, his family finds that a fresh start isn't so easy… and the shadows of the past have a very long reach.’
Fans of the show will obviously know Henry Creel, played by Harry Potter actor Jamie Campbell Bower in the series, is the mysterious figure who murdered his family before becoming Vecna when he became trapped in the Upside Down, whilst Jim Hopper is of course David Harbour’s chief of Hawkins Police Department who adopts Eleven (Millie Bobby Brown).
Joyce Maldonado eventually become Joyce Byers AKA Winona Ryder’s character - the mother of Will (Noah Schnapp) and Jonathan (Charlie Heaton) – and Bob Newby was the beloved radio DJ played by Sean Astin.
Despite minimal information about the play with no details of when performances are going to be or who’s going to star in it, tickets are expected to sell out quickly so make sure you register for priority ticket access here.
Speaking about the show The Duffer Brothers admit, ‘You will meet endearing new characters, as well as very familiar ones, on a journey into the past that sets the groundwork for the future of Stranger Things.
‘We're dying to tell you more about the story but won't - it's more fun to discover it for yourself. Can't wait to see you nerds in London!’