The production will tell a prequel story to the main series.
Stranger Things is still one of the biggest hits to come out of Netflix, and perhaps the streaming scene overall, with production currently underway on the next season. In the meantime, though, there are plenty of other stories to tell about the town of Hawkins and the mysteries it attracts, particularly in non-streaming formats.
An original Stranger Things stage play is coming to the Phoenix Theatre in London’s West End district. The play, entitled Stranger Things: The First Shadow, was written by series writer Kate Trefry with the express go-ahead from the series’ creators, the Duffer brothers. In fact, the screenplay is actually based on a story penned by the Duffers alongside writer Jack Thorne. The entire production is being headed up by Stephen Daldry.
The story is set 25 years before the original Stranger Things season, and follows younger versions of Hopper, Joyce, and other familiar characters as they receive their first taste of the burgeoning darkness of their hometown of Hawkins.
A ‘STRANGER THINGS’ prequel stage show will premiere in late 2023.
The play follows Hawkins in 1959 where young Jim Hopper’s car won’t start, Bob Newby’s sister won’t take his radio show seriously, Joyce just wants to graduate and new student Henry Creel arrives. pic.twitter.com/MnvajK8k9n
— DiscussingFilm (@DiscussingFilm) March 1, 2023
“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,” the Duffer Brothers said in a statement. “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.”
The play is set to premiere some time in late 2023.