Stranger Thingshas been hinting at an expanded universe beyond the wildly popular Netflix series for quite some time, and today they’ve finally shared new details for an upcoming stage production. Ahead of the show’s Season 4 return in May 2022, creatorsMattandRoss Dufferannounced that Season 5 would be the last for the Netflix series. Thankfully, just because we’re saying goodbye to Eleven and the Party, doesn’t mean Season 5 will be our last trip into the upside down. Today Netflix has unveiled the official title for the stage play,Stranger Things: The First Shadow, as well as other key details about the production. Tickets will go on sale later this month, and fans who pre-register atStranger Things on Stagewill be given priority access.
Following the finale of Season 4, The Duffer Brothers announced several new projects along with their new production bannerUpside Down Pictures. In addition to unrelated works including a series adaptation ofStephen King’sTalisman, the Duffers also announced plans for a live-actionStranger Thingsspin-off series, as well asa stage playset within the universe. Tony-winnerStephen Daldry(The Crown,Billy Elliot the Musical) was announced to direct, with Netflix and Sonia Friedman Productions producing alongside the Duffers who serve as creative producers, and associate producer 21 Laps.
A previous casting call posted for the play served up somemajor HellCheer vibeswith two character descriptions, seeking a pair of 14-year-old Hawkins residents—a goody-two-shoes preachers daughter who finds herself falling for the “moody and pale” school outcast. While many fans would love to see more of Eddie (Joseph Quinn) and Chrissy (Grace Van Dien), yesterday’s teaser hinted that we’ll be going back a little bit before their time to explore something more closely linked to Vecna’s history.The brief teasershowed an outline of the Creel House, a location featured heavily in Season 4, and the number “001” tucked into the words “coming soon.” As we learned in Season 4, Henry Creel was a gifted child with abilities very similar to Eleven’s who became Dr. Brenner’s (Matthew Modine) first experiment aka One before he turned into the villainous Vecna (Jamie Campbell Bower) prior to the events ofStranger ThingsSeason 1.
RELATED:Why Now Is the Perfect Time to Rewatch ‘Stranger Things’ From the Beginning
Everything We Know AboutStranger Things: The First Shadow
Daldry will be joined byJustin Martinas co-director, and the play is written byStranger Thingsseries writer and co-executive producerKate Trefreyand is based on an original story by Trefry, the Duffer Brothers, andJack Thorne. In addition to the show’s title Netflix also revealed the official synopsis forThe First Shadow:
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.
Brought to life by a multi-award-winning creative team, who take theatrical storytelling and stagecraft to a whole new dimension, this gripping new adventure will take you right back to the beginning of the Stranger Things story – and may hold the key to the end.
When a fan asked if the stage play would be included in the show’s in-universe canon, theStranger ThingsWriters Roomconfirmed that it would. Friedman also confirmed the play’s canon status in a statement saying, “Set within the canon ofStranger Things, this new play opens in London, with the West End hosting the only place in the world to experience this new story – for now.” Fans ofStranger Things’Joyce and Hopperwill no doubt enjoy this look at their history as we learn that they’ve been close to this mystery for longer than they ever knew. While the play will be exclusive to the Phoenix Theatre when it opens in London’s West End later this year, Friedman’s statement leaves room for the possibility of a recorded performance eventually making its way to the streamer.
Along with the announcement, the Duffer Brothers said:
“We are beyond excited aboutStranger Things: The First Shadow. Collaborating with the brilliant Stephen Daldry has been nothing short of inspiring, and Kate Trefry has written a play that is at turns surprising, scary, and heartfelt. 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 ofStranger 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!”
Stranger Things: The First Shadowwill feature set design byMiriam Buether, costume design byBrigitte Reiffenstuel, lighting design byJon Clark, sound design byPaul Arditti,illusions design byJamie Harrison & Chris Fisher, video design by59 Productions, movement direction byCoral Messam, wigs, hair and make-up design byCampbell Young Associates, casting byCharlotte Sutton CDG, international casting consultancy byJim Carnahan,Gary Beestonefor Gary Beestone Associates is Technical Director, with further creative team members to be announced along with cast members, further details, dates, and ticket information.
What Can We Expect FromStranger ThingsSeason 5?
With the stage play confirmed to be a part of the show’s canon, it may be essential content to get fans ready for the show’s fifth and final season. Recently,Noah Schnapprevealed thathe begins filming for Season 5in May, andDavid Harbouris also planning topull double dutyfilming the series and the upcoming Marvel movie Thunderbolts in Atlanta this summer. The Duffer Brothers haveteased that the show’s final chapterwill be different from its predecessors in that we’re going to hit the ground running from the moment the show returns, while also promising a return to the series' roots, circling back to the core dynamics ofStranger Thingsintroduced in the show’s early episodes. While exact details are still under wrapsSchnapp told Forbes: “The way they closed the show is just perfect — the story started with Will, and it’ll end with Will.”
Stranger ThingsSeason 5 will begin filming sometime this summer, and Seasons 1-4 are currently available on Netflix. Check out our post-Season 4 conversation with the Duffer Brothers down below.
