Have you ever wanted to know how Henry Creel fared at Hawkins before he was number 1 and then Vecna? And how did Hopper and Joyce get through life in the late 1950s? Then you will get a quick answer – because with “Stranger Things: The First Shadow” comes the prelude to the Netflix mega hit “Strange things” on the stage. London is slated as the – so far first – location, with the world premiere slated for 2023.
It is the first play ever commissioned by Netflix. We already know from “Harry Potter” that a film or series franchise is expanded with a theater production. Here Harry Potter and the Cursed Child, the sequel to the famous Harry Potter saga, is successfully staged worldwide. But the fact that both are stage plays isn’t the only thing “Stranger Things: The First Shadow” and “The Cursed Child” have in common: Jack Thorne, the co-author of Harry Potter and the Cursed Child, is also involved in the play Stranger Things.
From the Duffer brothers and a star director
Writer/playwright Jack Thorne teamed up with Kate Trefry and the Duffer brothers to develop the story for Stranger Things: The First Shadow. Kate Trefry then wrote the screenplay. Matt Duffer And Ross Duffer are the masterminds behind the original “Stranger Things” series and oversee the offshoots of the stage as creative producers. This should ensure that the story fits seamlessly with the previous ‘Stranger Things’ universe.
It is also exciting who directs “Stranger Things: The First Shadow”: Stephen Daldry is a three-time Oscar-nominated director on board. Daldry is nominated for Golden Boy for the films Billy Elliot, The Hours and The Reader, but also brings series and even theater experience. His credits include directing episodes of the Netflix hit The Crown and directing the live musical Billy Elliot.
And that’s what Stranger Things: The First Shadow is all about: In 1959, the small town of Hawkins is not yet connected to the Upside Down, but events cast their shadows ahead. Joyce Maldonado tries to graduate from high school so he can leave Hawkins, while Jim Hopper deals with everyday concerns like a car breakdown. Little do they know that the son of a family that has just moved to Hawkins will one day determine their fate: Henry Creel…
Tickets for “Stranger Things: The First Shadow”
While tickets for the Origin story, which will be staged at the Phoenix Theater in London’s West End, are not yet available for pre-order – but which is already on the official website Strangerthingsonstage.com registered, according to Netflix, should preferably be considered later when issuing tickets. The cast and the exact program will be announced on the play’s website in the coming months.
It’s not yet known if a recording of “Stranger Things: The First Shadow” could be coming to Netflix. We assume that the play will initially run exclusively in the theater. But maybe Netflix will give fans a streaming release at a later date. On the home screen, you can expect a reunion with Hawkins, but probably only once Stranger Things season 5 – the launch is planned for 2024.
We assume that there will be a trailer for “Stranger Things: The First Shadow”, which you can of course also watch on FILMSTARTS. The poster has already been released: