(L-R) Actors Noah Schnapp, Caleb McLaughlin and actress Sadie Sink pose after the Stranger Things panel during day 2 of Argentina Comic Con 2018 at Costa Salguero on December 08, 2018 in Buenos Aires, Argentina.
Ricardo Ceppi | Getty Images | NETFLIX
A new “Stranger Things” stage spinoff is coming to London’s West End later this year, Netflix announced Wednesday.
“Stranger Things: The First Shadow,” an adaptation of the popular science fiction series, will premiere at the Phoenix Theatre as the streaming giant’s first live stage production.
The play will be set in 1959 in the fictional town of Hawkins, Indiana, taking place more than two decades before the show’s first scene. In a press release, Netflix said it will include a handful of the show’s main characters, including the town’s police chief, Jim Hopper, and Joyce Byers’ boyfriend, Bob Newby.
The play — based on an original story by the Duffer Brothers, Jack Thorne and Kate Trefry — was written by Trefry and will be directed by Stephen Daldry, with co-direction from Justin Martin. It will be produced by Sonia Friedman Productions. Thorne also wrote the stage play for “Harry Potter and the Cursed Child.”
“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,'” Matt and Ross Duffer said in a statement.
The “Stranger Things” series debuted in 2016 and has been one of the streaming platform’s most popular shows. Its fourth season tops Netflix’s Most Popular English TV list with 1.35 billion hours viewed.
In Netflix’s most recent shareholder letter, the company said subscribers watched more returning seasons and sequels in 2022 than in any year prior. Netflix blew away subscriber expectations for the fourth quarter, adding 7.66 million paid subscribers during the fourth quarter.
The play joins a growing array of in-person events inspired by Netflix films and shows, including the immersive multi-city “Stranger Things: The Experience.” Other events have included balls with “Bridgerton” themes and an escape room live experience based on “Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery.”
Netflix has also been gaining traction in the comedy space with a live standup special starring Chris Rock set for March 4, during which he will discuss Will Smith’s Oscar slap.
Tickets for “Stranger Things: The First Shadow” are expected to go on sale in the spring.
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