Stranger Things prequel ‘Other Worlds’ is coming, set in the 1950s
Stranger Things is not finished yet. Netflix has announced a live-action prequel series called Other Worlds: A Stranger Things Adventure, and it will take viewers back decades before Hawkins ever heard of the Upside Down.
The news landed on 6 November — known to fans as Stranger Things Day because it is the date Will Byers vanished in the very first episode. According to Netflix Tudum, the show is set in the 1950s and is coming in 2028.
New era, new heroes
Creators Matt and Ross Duffer said they had been “dreaming of Other Worlds” for years. “It’s Stranger Things, but also thrillingly fresh, with a new setting, new heroes and villains, and new … actually, we’re not allowed to say any more,” they said, adding: “watch the skies, nerds!”
The series is written and run by Kate Trefry, a long-time Stranger Things writer who also wrote the hit stage play Stranger Things: The First Shadow. BAFTA and Golden Globe-winning director Joe Wright, known for Pride & Prejudice and Darkest Hour, will direct the first three episodes. The Duffers and Shawn Levy are executive producers, and filming will take place in New Mexico.
Netflix released a short teaser alongside the announcement. Coverage from Gizmodo and IGN described a setting of 19 April 1955 in Marion, Nevada, with glimpses of an abandoned bike, a restricted military site and a strange disturbance in the sky.
Answering the Vecna question
The prequel takes place even before The First Shadow, which explores Henry Creel’s troubled past in Hawkins in 1959. Fans have long wondered about the origin of the mysterious stone that helped turn Henry into the villain Vecna, and LADbible pointed to earlier comments from Matt Duffer to Variety suggesting the spin-off would explain it.
He said the new show would “delve into that” but stressed it would be “a completely different mythology”, not a deep dive into the Mind Flayer. “It’s very fresh and very new, but yes, it will answer some of the loose threads that are remaining,” he said.
Shawn Levy said the creators had built “a new ensemble and adventure” carrying “the DNA of our flagship series” while introducing new characters and themes.
Casting has not yet been announced. In the meantime, all five seasons of the original show and the animated series Stranger Things: Tales From ’85 are streaming on Netflix, while The First Shadow continues in London’s West End until 27 December and on Broadway until 3 January 2027.
