Rehearsals are now underway in the U.K. for Stranger Things: The First Shadow, an official, canonical prequel to the hit Netflix series that will premiere soon on the London stage. Netflix today announced the cast of the show — which features younger versions of Stranger Things characters like Hopper, Joyce, and the kid who later grows up to become Vecna, Henry Creel. (I guess in the parlance of Stranger Things’ ’80s nostalgia obsessed vibe, we might unofficially dub this thing Stranger Things Babies.)
Oscar Lloyd Jr. at left above plays the young Hopper, while Isabella Pappas in the middle is the young Joyce. On the right is Christopher Buckley, who plays Bob Newby. (On the main Stranger Things TV series, Bob is played by Sean Astin.)
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The First Shadow was announced in March of this year. At that time, here was how Netflix officially described the premise and setting of the play:
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. 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.
Here were the Duffer brothers’ statement on the announcement of the show’s cast:
The cast of ‘Stranger Things: The First Shadow’ is nothing short of phenomenal. These actors brilliantly explore the early days of many fan favorites — including Hopper, Joyce, Bob, Henry and Dr. Brenner — while also bringing new characters to vivid life. We couldn’t be more thrilled and can’t wait for you to meet them all live on stage. See you in London, nerds!
The first performance of Stranger Things: The First Shadow is scheduled for November 17 at the Phoenix Theatre in London. The fifth and final season of Stranger Things was in development when the writers’ strike began last summer. So it is still quite a ways off at this point.
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