Culture 3 min read By Lauren Baxter
Netflix Orders Stranger Things Prequel Other Worlds Directed by Joe Wright
Netflix has ordered Other Worlds: A Stranger Things Adventure, a prequel set in the 1950s, co-developed by Kate Trefry and the Duffer Brothers.
Netflix has officially ordered a series set in the Stranger Things universe: Other Worlds: A Stranger Things Adventure. The project was developed jointly by Kate Trefry and the Duffer Brothers, and Joe Wright will direct. Both Deadline and Variety report on the series order, which makes it a firm commitment from the streaming service.
The production is a prequel set in the 1950s. The storyline refers to Hawkins, the setting of the main series, and chronologically precedes the original series. It also comes before the stage play Stranger Things: The First Shadow, which is likewise set in the backstory of the franchise. The connection to the well-known events is meant to be established through place and time, not through already known characters, whose return is not mentioned in the reports.
The announcement was made on Stranger Things Day, the annual holiday of the fan community. That Netflix used this day for the announcement shows how strongly the service relies on the loyal fan base that has followed the series since its launch. According to Variety, a premiere is planned for 2028, but no exact date has yet been given.
Essential details are still open. Neither the plot nor the cast has been disclosed in the available reports. Whether and how closely the series connects to the familiar characters therefore cannot be assessed from the information so far. There is also no information on the length of the seasons or the number of episodes.
For the franchise, the order is another signal that the brand is to be expanded beyond the main seasons. The stage play The First Shadow and now Other Worlds show that Netflix and the creatives involved want to tell the story of Hawkins in different formats. The series expands the universe with a look at a period that appears only indirectly in the main series.
The combination of Kate Trefry, credited as co-creator, the Duffer Brothers and director Joe Wright promises a production with high-profile names behind the camera. Wright, known for literary adaptations and period dramas, brings a 1950s time frame that differs markedly from the present day of the main series. How this connection will be realised in tone remains to be seen.
Source: deadline.com
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