Stranger Things, Netflix's biggest TV show, is getting an official prequel. But there's a twist: it won't be a TV show at all.
Stranger Things: The First Shadow will be a stage play hitting London's West End later this year, featuring a young Jim Hopper as one of the characters. The Duffer Brothers executive-produced the play and worked on the story alongside Kate Trefry, who has worked on the main show.
Tickets for the stage show, which will take place at the Phoenix Theatre, are on sale now, and you can find out more information here.
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But while we'll have to wait until November for the first show, we do now have a minute-long teaser trailer to tide us over.
Stranger Things: The First Shadow tickets
Posting the clip on Twitter (which you can watch for yourself above) on July 5, the show teased: "#StrangerThingsOnStage will take you right back to the beginning of the Stranger Things story — and it might hold the key to what comes next..." What a tease!
We've also been blessed with a short synopsis that reveals when the play will be set, and teases how it might tie into the show's fifth and final season.
The synopsis reads: "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.
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"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."
The Duffer Brothers themselves talked about the play in a press release, stating: "We are beyond excited about Stranger Things: The First Shadow. Collaborating with the brilliant [director] 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. We’re dying to tell you more about the story but won't — it's more fun to discover it for yourself. Can't wait to see you nerds in London!"
Stranger Things seasons 1-4 are now streaming worldwide on Netflix.
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Joe Anderton is a freelance news writer at Digital Spy, having worked there since 2016. In his time, he's covered a host of live events and interviewed celebrities big and small. A big fan of TV and movies both mainstream and obscure, Joe also enjoys video games and in particular PlayStation. Joe currently does not use Twitter, but he only ever used it to tell people to watch the film Help! I'm a Fish.
