Netflix announces ‘Stranger Things’ prequel, set to debut in 2028

The Stranger Things universe is expanding.

On Nov. 6, Netflix announced Other Worlds: A Stranger Things Adventure, a prequel to the original hit series as well as stage show Stranger Things: The First Shadow.

Set for a 2028 release, Other Worlds comes from original series creators the Duffer Brothers, as well as Stranger Things writer and The First Shadow playwright Kate Trefry. The announcement comes as part of Stranger Things Day, as Nov. 6 marks the anniversary of Will Byers’ (Noah Schnapp) disappearance in 1981.

 “We’ve been dreaming of Other Worlds: A Stranger Things Adventure for many years now, and to see it become a reality is surreal and exhilarating,” the Duffer Brothers said in a statement. “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. Now, on to casting. In the meantime — watch the skies, nerds!”

Aside from the tease of a location that probably won’t be Hawkins, Indiana, and new characters, plot details for Other Worlds are fairly thin. However, the teaser video accompanying the announcement offers up a few clues. The video shows an abandoned bicycle outside what appears to be a government facility, not unlike Hawkins Lab. From there, a title card appears, reading “April 19, 1955. Marion, Nevada.”

The timeline and setting are intriguing, as Dr. Martin Brenner’s (Matthew Modine) Nevada-based experiments to learn more about Dimension X (aka the Abyss) play a key part in Henry Creel’s (Jamie Campbell Bower) backstory in both The First Shadow and Stranger Things Season 5. However, those experiments took place in Rachel, Nevada, not the fictional town of Marion.

Could Other Worlds be exploring an entirely new set of experiments tied to the Upside Down? We’ll have to wait until 2028 to find out.

Other Worlds: A Stranger Things Adventure hits Netflix in 2028.

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