Netflix's Stranger Things is headed to the stage with an original, official prequel

The first Stranger Things spin-off has been announced — and it’s not going to be streaming on Netflix… or anywhere, for that matter.

The fan-favorite supernatural series is being transformed into a stage play with the announcement of Stranger Things: The First Shadow, a play set decades before the first episode of the show and featuring young versions of Hopper and Joyce. The show will be written by Stranger Things writer Kate Trefry, based on a story by franchise creators Matt and Ross Duffer alongside playwright Jack Thorne.

The play will be directed by Stephen Daldry, who has previously directed Billy Elliot; Deadline reports that Daldry has spent “a year working with masters of illusion to develop magic tricks and special effects for the play.”

In a statement about The First Shadow, the Duffer Brothers said, “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. 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.”

A teaser for the show, which will open at the Phoenix Theater in London, England, this fall is below; accompanying very Saul Bass-esque visuals, text reads, “Hawkins, 1959. Before the world turned Upside Down… Be there from the beginning.”

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e3IO1pGtHqU

The fifth and final season of Stranger Things the series is currently in production.

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