Netflix orders Stranger Things prequel series 'Other Worlds', set in the 1950s, for 2028

Left · 2Netflix has ordered a live-action Stranger Things prequel series titled "Other Worlds: A Stranger Things Adventure", announced on 6 November, which Netflix marks as Stranger Things Day. 1 2 Centre · 2The show is a prequel set in the 1950s, before Stranger Things and before the stage play Stranger Things: The First Shadow, and is slated to premiere in 2028. 3 4 Mixed · 2A teaser places the story on 19 April 1955 in Marion, Nevada, and shows a deserted bike by a restricted area at night, with a sky disturbance that resembles a wormhole. 4 2

Mixed · 2Kate Trefry, a longtime Stranger Things writer who wrote The First Shadow, is co-creator, showrunner and executive producer alongside the Duffer brothers, and Joe Wright will direct the first three episodes. 2 4 Left · 2Shawn Levy's 21 Laps, Paul Dichter, Shelley Meals, Andrea Sperling and Pavlina Hatoupis also executive produce, and Variety and The Hollywood Reporter say production will take place in New Mexico. 2 1 Mixed · 2The Duffer brothers, who created the original series, are not day-to-day showrunners: Deadline says they are under an exclusive overall deal at Paramount, and Variety says Other Worlds is a carve-out from that deal. 4 2

Mixed · 2The Duffers said they have been "dreaming of" the series "for many years", that it is "Stranger Things, but also thrillingly fresh", and told fans to "watch the skies"; The Hollywood Reporter reads that hint, the title and the setting as suggesting a UFO or outer-space theme. 3 1 Left · 1Jinny Howe, Netflix's head of scripted series for the US and Canada, said the company is "honored to partner again" with the Duffers and Trefry to give fans "a new dimension of this universe". 1 Mixed · 2Trefry called it her "insane honor and privilege" to bring "a wholly new story" to life; the creators stress new characters, themes and mythology, though Deadline notes the connection to The First Shadow and says Matt Duffer previously said the spinoff would answer some of the remaining loose threads. 4 1

Mixed · 2Outlets differ on how many projects the franchise now has: Deadline calls Other Worlds the second TV spinoff and third overall including the stage play, while Variety calls it the fourth project including the original show. 4 2 Mixed · 2Stranger Things debuted in 2016, became Netflix's biggest show with 1.2 billion views across its first four seasons, and ended with its fifth season; the animated spinoff Tales From '85 has been released. 1 3