Stranger Things stage play will explore “origin of the Upside Down”

The Duffer Brothers have found a bold new way to combat the ongoing epidemic of “franchise fatigue” plaguing film and television right now. Unlike Marvel, which has taken the inevitable path of continuing to lean into the churn despite the growing mess of it all, or HBO, which seems to think they’re simply above the whole issue, the Stranger Things co-creators are walking a less trodden path: changing the medium in which you stage your franchise altogether.

If you thought the answer would be actually coming up with a new idea for once, you thought wrong. Don’t be silly! But young Joyce, Hopper, Bob (remember him?), and some of your other favorites from the “Stranger Things universe” will make the jump from screen to stage in a new play titled Stranger Things: The First Shadow, opening later this year on London’s West End. So that’s at least a little bit different than just doing another show (a thing which is also, unfortunately, happening).

According to a first look video released today, the show will be a prequel exploring the early life of Henry Creel—who goes on to become season four villain Vecna—and his arrival on the Hawkins, Indiana scene. “We were in the middle of breaking season four with our writers, and we started going, ‘Okay, there’s definitely more story to tell here,’” said Matt and Ross Duffer of the show’s inspiration. “It’s exciting to explore Stranger Things in this new medium… you’re going to have the audience reacting in a way that simply isn’t possible with the show.”

Story-wise, the play will also feature a “new really important character” named Patty Newby and tell “the origin of the Upside Down,” according to the actor who plays Dr. Brenner (a.k.a. Papa).

In the video, the team promises “a lot of monsters, a lot of blood and gut effects, [and] a lot of vanishes and appearances,” similar to the original series. According to producer Sonia Freedman, lots of this “has never been done before on stage.” (We have no reason not to believe her, but from this teaser, it does look quite a bit like the staging of Harry Potter And The Cursed Child, not to mention the similar roles both of these pieces play in their respective franchises.)

This, of course, doesn’t replace Stranger Things’ fifth and final season, which currently does not have a set release date. Maybe the stage production will come up with some neat visual trick to aid the series’ VFX team in their pledge not to use AI to de-age the cast when it finally goes into production.