Netflix has revealed the live-action Stranger Things prequel, and it’s called Other Worlds: A Stranger Things Adventure. The streamer dropped a first teaser and a 2028 release window on Stranger Things Day (6 November), the annual celebration of the date Will Byers vanished in the original series. The tagline, “Before Hawkins, there was Marion,” tells you where it’s headed.
As IGN reports, the series comes from Matt and Ross Duffer and Kate Trefry. Netflix confirmed the title and date in a post on X.
The teaser is short on action but specific on setting. It confirms the date as April 19, 1955, in Marion, Nevada, and shows a discarded bike outside a fenced-off restricted area. A sign warns that deadly force is authorised, and the camera then tilts up to a lit-up facility before settling on the night sky. Variety also reports the 1955 Nevada setting. That puts the story well before the 1959 events of the stage play, which we covered when the Broadway production was filmed for Netflix.
Who’s making it
Golden Globe-winning director Joe Wright will direct the first three episodes, and production takes place in New Mexico. Trefry, who has worked with the Duffers since Season 2 and wrote The First Shadow, is showrunner. Dread Central, citing Deadline, says Shawn Levy is also executive producing through 21 Laps Entertainment. It adds that Levy recently left Netflix for an overall deal at Disney’s 20th Television.
Netflix says to expect a new era, setting and cast of characters, themes and mythology. The Duffers have been consistent on that point. Matt Duffer previously described the spinoff as a “clean slate” with no common characters. The brothers’ closing line in the announcement was a nod to the franchise’s famous catchphrase: “Watch the skies, nerds!” Casting is the next step, and nothing has been announced yet.
Will it answer the Season 5 questions?
Possibly, though not through familiar faces. IGN notes that the Stranger Things Season 5 finale showed the glowing rock inside the briefcase that child Henry Creel opens. Matt Duffer told Variety the spinoff will explain that rock and tie off some loose threads, while pointing out it’s a different mythology rather than a deeper look at the Mind Flayer. IGN speculates the 1943 submarine experiment described in The First Shadow could be where the rock came from, but that’s a theory rather than anything Netflix has said.
For anyone catching up in the meantime, our guides cover where to watch Stranger Things 5 Volume 2 in the UAE and the animated Tales From ’85 Season 2. Netflix has given 2028 as the only release timing, with no premiere date or episode count.
When does Other Worlds: A Stranger Things Adventure come out?
Netflix says 2028, with no exact date or episode count announced yet.
Do the original Stranger Things cast appear in Other Worlds?
Not as far as Netflix has said. It’s set in 1955 with new characters, and Matt Duffer has said there are no common characters. Casting hasn’t been announced.
Do I need to watch The First Shadow before it?
Netflix hasn’t said so. Trefry wrote the play and the new series is set earlier, but Netflix describes the new show as having a fresh setting and mythology.
