The Stranger Things universe is expanding in a major new direction. Netflix has officially announced Other Worlds: A Stranger Things Adventure, a live-action prequel series from Matt and Ross Duffer and longtime Stranger Things writer Kate Trefry. The new series will take viewers back to the 1950s, introducing an entirely new setting, characters, and mysteries. It is scheduled to debut on Netflix in 2028.
November 6 also being known as Stranger Things Day, commemorating the date Will Byers disappeared in the first season of the original series, makes this the perfect day for such an announcement. Netflix has revealed that the story will take place before the events of both Stranger Things and the stage play Stranger Things: The First Shadow. According to the teaser (you can check it out in the embed at the top of this article), the story begins on April 19, 1955, in Marion, Nevada.
As Deadline reports, the new series will explore mythology introduced in The First Shadow and the final season of Stranger Things, including the mysterious rock Henry discovers in a scientist’s briefcase in the Nevada caves. Matt Duffer previously indicated that a spinoff would address some of the remaining unanswered questions surrounding that storyline.
BAFTA and Golden Globe-winning filmmaker Joe Wright (Pride & Prejudice, Atonement, Darkest Hour) will direct the first three episodes of the series. Production is set to take place in New Mexico. Kate Trefry, who wrote The First Shadow and has been part of the Stranger Things creative team since the second season, will serve as showrunner, writer, executive producer, and co-creator alongside the Duffer Brothers. Matt and Ross Duffer will executive produce through their Upside Down Pictures banner.
Other executive producers include Shawn Levy and his 21 Laps banner, Paul Dichter, Shelley Meals, Andrea Sperling, and Pavlina Hatoupis. Levy, who helped bring the original series to life, will continue his involvement in the franchise as an executive producer.
Jinny Howe, Netflix Head of Scripted Series, US & Canada, said: “Stranger Things has always belonged to the fans, and their passion made it a worldwide phenomenon. Today, on Stranger Things Day, we’re honored to partner again with Matt and Ross Duffer and Kate Trefry to give fans a new dimension of this universe to step into. Other Worlds: A Stranger Things Adventure takes us to the 1950s with new heroes and all the heart, mystery, and spectacle of the original series. We’re proud to keep building this world with the Duffers, Kate, Shawn Levy, and Joe Wright, and we can’t wait for fans to see what’s next.”
The Duffer Brothers added: “We’ve been dreaming of Other Worlds: A Stranger Things Adventure for many years now, and to see it become a reality is surreal and exhilarating. We’re so grateful to our incredible team of collaborators: our showrunner Kate Trefry, who has been in the trenches with us since Season 2 and wrote Stranger Things: The First Shadow; and our director, Joe Wright, a brilliant artist whose work we’ve long admired. We can’t wait for you to see what they’re cooking up. It’s Stranger Things, but also thrillingly fresh, with a new setting, new heroes and villains, and new… actually, we’re not allowed to say any more. Now, on to casting. In the meantime — watch the skies, nerds!”
Trefry had this to say: “The Duffer Brothers gave me my first paying job in Hollywood, and it has been a joy and a fever dream ever since. Now, it is my insane honor and privilege to be bringing this new chapter of Stranger Things to life alongside them and our incredible director Joe Wright. With the support of Netflix and 21Laps, we have had the time of our lives returning to all the horror, wonder and mystery of the flagship, while also telling a wholly new story, one we hope will blow your minds and break your hearts all over again. There are so many more mysteries to explore. Welcome to Other Worlds.”
Levy also expressed his enthusiasm for continuing the franchise, saying: “All of us at 21Laps are thrilled and privileged to be continuing the storytelling legacy of Stranger Things. With Other Worlds, the Duffer Brothers and Kate Trefry craft a new ensemble and adventure that is imbued with the DNA of our flagship series while exploring a new era, setting and all-new characters, themes and mythology — the seeds of which may have been planted in Hawkins, but now venture into other worlds of spectacle, action and emotion.”
Other Worlds: A Stranger Things Adventure will be the second television spinoff from the franchise and the third overall, counting the stage production prequel Stranger Things: The First Shadow and the animated series Stranger Things: Tales From ’85, which takes place between the second and third seasons of the original show.
Created by the Duffer Brothers, Stranger Things debuted in 2016 and became one of Netflix’s biggest worldwide hits, accumulating more than 1.2 billion views across its first four seasons.
Other Worlds: A Stranger Things Adventure is scheduled to premiere on Netflix in 2028. Will you be watching? Let us know by leaving a comment below.
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