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After captivating the world and turning it inside-out with a breathtaking fourth season, Stranger Things is back again to take the story forward by taking the viewers backward. No, this is not the fifth season of the awaited franchise.
The creators of the popular show are ready to take a whole new direction with the upcoming Stranger Things: The First Shadow, a stage play set to premiere at the Phoenix Theatre in London’s West End later this year.
Netflix confirmed this with a stunning and eerie teaser earlier tonight, demonstrating a stylistic approach to the story and transporting viewers to the origin of the dreaded Vecna. The teaser promises to be the "key" to uncovering some major secrets in the show's upcoming fifth and final season.
According to TV Line, The play will be "based on an original story by the series’ creators Matt and Ross Duffer, as well as Jack Thorne and Kate Trefry, and directed by Stephen Daldry."
The exact release date for The First Shadow has not yet been revealed.
Stranger Things: The First Shadow teaser and synopsis
The beautiful teaser features an old television set that shows scenes curated from the previous seasons which go backwards to reach the origin of Vecna. The fourth season of the show briefly touched upon this topic, providing insights into Eleven's character development and the experiments that ultimately resulted in the emergence of Vecna.
However, this play aims to delve more extensively into the subject matter, offering a more comprehensive exploration. The official synopsis for the upcoming Stranger Things play 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. 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."
The strangeness of Hawkins was always a recurring theme of the show from the first season. This play may also delve deep into the mystery of Hawkins itself.
Naturally, being a distinct medium, the accessibility of the show may pose challenges for all audiences, making it a daring decision by the creators.
In a statement, the Duffer Brothers said:
"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."
The final season of Stranger Things is still some time away as the filming is set to begin this summer. It will most likely premiere in late 2024, but there have been no announcements regarding the same.
The WGA strike has reportedly further pushed back the timeline for the show, as per recent reports, which may mean the series can be pushed back by a year.
Stranger Things is currently available for streaming on Netflix.
