Credit: NetflixStranger Things might have recently concluded its flagship series after five seasons across nine years, with Season 5 marking the end of that era on December 31, but the franchise is set to continue with upcoming projects, including the 3D animated spinoff Tales From ’85.
Stranger Things Is Expanding
Recently, the first official trailer for that series premiered, giving fans their first proper look at the animated versions of Eleven, Mike, Lucas, Dustin, Will, Max, Steve, and Hopper, who will be voiced by a new cast, replacing the likes of Millie Bobby Brown and David Harbour.
Away from the screen, the franchise’s presence in other media remains, with Dead by Daylight x Stranger Things Chapter 2 having recently launched across major gaming platforms. New Hawkins adventures spanning comic books and tie-in novels also continue.
Meanwhile, a live-action spinoff series is in development. While very little is known, the Duffer brothers have confirmed that it will focus on the “briefcase rock” teased in Season 5, which ties into the origins of Henry Creel, the young boy who goes on to become One/Vecna.
Related: ‘Stranger Things’ Confirms That Major Character Survived Season 5 Finale — Here’s How
Stranger Things Prequel Coming to Netflix
Now, the franchise is doubling down on its efforts to stay relevant following the end of the main series on Netflix. The finale got a divisive reception from fans, leading some to launch an online petition demanding an extended cut from the streamer and others to cook up the now-debunked viral theory dubbed “Conformity Gate”, which proposed that the final episode, “Chapter Eight: The Rightside Up”, was fake and that another episode would follow.
Per Collider, the stage production Stranger Things: The First Shadow, which is a prequel to the main series and a supplementary precursor to Season 5, taking place in 1959 and following younger versions of Joyce Byers, Jim Hopper, and Henry Creel, is now being filmed for Netflix. Watch the official Broadway trailer for the award-winning show below:
Per the report, producers canceled public performances of the show so that it could be filmed for the streaming service, with the original cast members — including Tony nominee Louis McCartney, who plays the young Henry Creel — before they depart the production March 29.
No release dates have been shared, however, viewers can essentially expect a small-screen version of the the critically acclaimed West End and Broadway hit.
The First Shadow‘s Connection to Season 5
Despite being confirmed to be canon by the Duffer brothers, The First Shadow is only considered supplementary, and not essential, viewing, for the main series.
The character of Henry Creel was first introduced in Season 4, in which it’s revealed that he moved to Hawkins with his family as a young boy, before being taken in by Dr. Martin Brenner (Matthew Modine) at Hawkins National Laboratory, where he was trained to perfect his telekinetic abilities and train other “numbered” children with their powers.
The stage play fleshes out the young Henry’s storyline, focusing on his time at high school before he becomes the powerful “dark wizard” Vecna. Season 5 expands his origins by revealing that he got his powers from a mysterious rock in the possession of an unnamed scientist.
However, in The First Shadow seemingly retcons this by suggesting that Henry went to high school first, with the likes of Joyce and Hopper, during his teenage years. Only later is he shown to have been taken in by Brenner at Hawkins Lab, which feels at odds with the series.
Here’s the description for the stage play, per the official website:
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.
Public performances of The First Shadow resumed on Sunday, February 15.
Tales From ’85 premieres on April 23. Stranger Things seasons 1 — 5 are now streaming on Netflix.
Have you seen The First Shadow? Let us know in the comments!