Stranger Things: The First Shadow stage play may be the start of a trilogy

Netflix is teaming up with Sonia Friedman Productions to produce the stage play Stranger Things: The First Shadow, which is “rooted in the mythology” of the hit streaming series Stranger Things and officially opens at the Phoenix Theatre in London’s West End tonight, December 14th. According to Deadline, if this one is well received, it might be the first in a trilogy of Stranger Things stage plays!

Deadline hears Stranger Things: The First Shadow “will be the first instalment in a trilogy exploring the dark underbelly of Hawkins, Indiana. Breaking Baz can reveal parts two and three are set to follow the inaugural play in two or three year intervals, according to insiders associated with the production. The stage sequels will launch in London first. Meanwhile, there are already plans for Stranger Things: The First Shadow to transfer to Broadway.” Of course, this all depends on the reviews and box office receipts, which the producers and backers will be studying closely before they decide whether or not to greenlight the follow-ups.

Written by Stranger Things writer and co-executive producer Kate Trefry from an original story she crafted with the Duffer Brothers and Jack Thorne, Stranger Things: The First Shadow has the following synopsis: 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’s the cast: Shane Attwooll (Chief Hopper), Kemi Awoderu (Sue Anderson), Chase Brown (Lonnie Byers), Christopher Buckley (Bob Newby), Ammar Duffus (Charles Sinclair), Gilles Geary (Ted Wheeler), Florence Guy (Karen Childress), Max Harwood (Allen Munson), Michael Jibson (Victor Creel), Oscar Lloyd (James Hopper, Jr.), Louis McCartney (Henry Creel), Isabella Pappas (Joyce Maldonado), Matthew Pidgeon (Father Newby), Calum Ross (Walter Henderson), Maisie Norma Seaton (Claudia Henderson), Patrick Vaill (Dr. Brenner), Lauren Ward (Virginia Creel), and Ella Karuna Williams (Patty Newby). Taking on unspecified roles are Tricia Adele-Turner, Lauren Arney, Reya-Nyomi Brown, Patricia Castro, Lydia Fraser, Isaac Gryn, Mark Hammersley, Tom Peters, Kingdom Sibanda, Tiana Simone, Danny Sykes, and Meesha Turner.

Stranger Things creators the Duffer Brothers are creative producers on the play, and the show’s producers at 21 Laps get an associate producer credit. The play is being directed by Stephen Daldry, with Justin Martin co-directing.

Are you interested in Stranger Things: The First Shadow, and would you like to see this kick off a trilogy of stage plays set in the world of Stranger Things? Share your thoughts on this one by leaving a comment below.