“Theatrical” ‘Stranger Things’ Prequel Gets 2023 Release Date and Synopsis

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Jim Hopper (David Harbour) in 'Stranger Things'

Credit: Netflix

A Stranger Things prequel has emerged from the Upside Down…

While Netflix is yet to announce a release date, Stranger Things (2016) will end with its fifth and final season. And though there is a spinoff series in the works, a Stranger Things prequel is also about to emerge from the Upside Down.

In an interview with the BBC, the show’s creators, brothers Matt Duffer and Ross Duffer, talked at great length about the upcoming production, which will be an exclusive stage show that will open in London’s West End.

Eleven screaming and using her powers against Vecna in Stranger Things Season 4
Credit: Netflix

Related: ‘Stranger Things’ Star Reveals Devastating Update For Season 5

“When we made that first season,” Ross said, “we were just shocked we were allowed to make a show, so to see what it has become, and now the world is starting to expand, is pretty great. But this is something we never expected.”

Even David Harbour, who plays detective Jim Hopper in the show, said that he thought the show would be canceled after the first season.

Now, seven years later, Stranger Things has amassed a huge fanbase, has 12 Emmy Awards under its belt, and is on the verge of its fifth and final season. Stranger Things Season 4 also broke several records on the streaming service when it premiered last year.

David Harbour as Jim Hopper in Stranger Things
Credit: Netflix

Related: ‘A Nightmare on Elm Street’ Reboot From the Creators of ‘Stranger Things’? Yes, Please!

The Duffer brothers have shared many things about the upcoming season, but what do we know about the new Stranger Things stage show?

What’s it called?

Stranger Things: The First Shadow official artwork
Credit: Netflix (via Stranger Things: The First Shadow website)

The prequel is officially titled Stranger Things: The First Shadow (2023), and it even has its own official website, which includes some of the artwork as seen above.

It is being written by Stranger Things writer Kate Trefry, produced by Sonia Friedman, and directed by Stephen Daldry.

Related: Gaten Matarazzo Speaks Out Ahead of Exit From ‘Stranger Things’

Will any of the characters from the show appear in Stranger Things: The First Shadow?

Dmitri Antonov (Tom Wlaschiha), Murray Bauman (Brett Gelman), Joyce Byers (Winona Ryder), and Jim Hopper (David Harbour) in Season 4 of Stranger Things
Credit: Netflix

Stranger Things: The First Shadow will feature characters from the Netflix series, focusing on Jim Hopper, Joyce Maldonado, and Bob Newby, all of whom will be in high school in the 1950s. The villain Henry Creel, who becomes Vecna/One in Season 4, will also appear.

In the interview, Matt Duffer said, “in the [stage] show, you can meet them as high schoolers — basically the same age as the kids are in our [Netflix] show.”

“So yes, we have the darkness and the horror that comes along with the Henry Creel story,” he added, “but then we have sort of the fun and pop that comes from meeting and getting to know young Joyce, young Hopper, young Bob.”

Who’s in it?

Dustin, Mike and Max at school in Stranger Things Season 4
Credit: Netflix

No actors have been confirmed as yet.

What’s Stranger Things: The First Shadow about?

Jamie Campbell-Bower as Henry Creel in Hawkins Lab in Stranger Things Season 4 4
Credit: Netflix

As per the official website for Stranger Things: The First Shadow, here’s the synopsis:

BEFORE THE WORLD TURNED UPSIDE DOWN…

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.

In the interview, Matt explained that the stage show will not be a musical (although, oddly enough, actress Millie Bobby Brown did previously say that she would love a musical episode in Season 5).

Related: ‘Stranger Things’ Star Changes Tune – “It Is Time For It To End”

Is Stranger Things: The First Shadow canon?

Stranger Things Season 4 character poster
Credit: Netflix

It sounds like Stranger Things: The First Shadow is 100% canon with the ongoing Netflix series. The Duffer brothers even said that the stage show has given them ideas for Season 5.

“We’re trying to be very, very careful to make sure that it all fits in locks into place,” Ross said, while Matt explained: “Some of the mythology stuff is a little bit trickier, but like Ross said, it’s been fun to have the play influence the show, and the show influenced the play,” but added he hopes it feels like a “unique theatrical experience”.

He later added: “It does very much feel like Stranger Things, but it is so driven by Stephen [Daldry], Kate [Trefry] and Sonia [Friedman]. It is very much its own thing, kind of set in the world of Stranger Things.”

When’s it out?

Will Byers in Stranger Things Season 4
Credit: Netflix

Stranger Things: The First Shadow will premiere in London’s West End on December 14, 2023.

Previews will begin at the Phoenix Theatre on November 17.

Is there a trailer?

(L to R), Will, Mike, Dustin, and Lucas in Stranger Things Season 1
Credit: Netflix

There is currently no trailer for Stranger Things: The First Shadow, however, there is an official website worth checking out in the meantime.

Stranger Things Seasons 1 — 4 are now streaming on Netflix. There is currently no release date for Season 5, however, we do know that there will be eight episodes.

As per the Netflix website, here’s the official synopsis for Stranger Things Season 4:

It’s been six months since the Battle of Starcourt, which brought terror and destruction to Hawkins. Struggling with the aftermath, our group of friends are separated for the first time – and navigating the complexities of high school hasn’t made things any easier. In this most vulnerable time, a new and horrifying supernatural threat surfaces, presenting a gruesome mystery that, if solved, might finally put an end to the horrors of the Upside Down.

Will Byers crying in Stranger Things Season 4
Credit: Netflix

Related: ‘Stranger Things’ Spin-Off Reportedly Gets Title, Synopsis, and More

Season 4 stars Joe Keery (Steve Harrington), Winona Ryder (Joyce Byers), David Harbour) (Jim Hopper), Finn Wolfhard (Mike Wheeler), Millie Bobby Brown (Eleven/Jane Hopper), Gaten Matarazzo (Dustin Henderson), Joseph Quinn (Eddie Munson), Paul Reiser (Dr Sam Owens), Caleb McLaughlin (Lucas Sinclair), Natalia Dyer (Nancy Wheeler), Matthew Modine (Papa/Martin Brenner), Maya Hawke (Robin Buckley), Charlie Heaton (Jonathan Byers), Sadie Sink (Max Mayfield), Noah Schnapp (Will Byers), and Jamie Campbell-Bower (Vecna/One/Henry Creel).

Millie Bobby Brown in the Hawkins Lab in Stranger Things Season 4
Credit: Netflix

Related: David Harbour Jumps to New Franchise After Leaving ‘Stranger Things’ Role

How excited are you for the Stranger Things prequel? Let Inside the Magic know in the comments down below!

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