Netflix’s latest attempt at putting the premium cable channels out to pasture is the supernatural drama Stranger Things, which features Winona Ryder front and center. Gearing up for a 2016 debut, the series has just brought on 80s heartthrob Matthew Modine to play a pivotal role. The kids today probably recognize Modine best from his turn in THE DARK KNIGHT RISES, but us old-timers more closely associate him with FULL METAL JACKET, GROSS ANATOMY and, of course, CUTTHROAT ISLAND (classic)!
First a reminder about the plot:
Stranger Things is set in 1980 Indiana, where a young boy vanishes into thin air. As friends, family and local police search for answers, they are drawn into an extraordinary mystery involving top-secret government experiments, terrifying supernatural forces and one very strange little girl.
Ryder will play the boy’s single mother while David Harbour will play the town’s chief of police, tasked with investigating the disappearance. Modine will play Dr. Martin Brenner, a brilliant, enigmatic scientist who may or may not be connected to the boy’s mysterious disappearance.
The show also stars Cara Buono, Finn Wolfhard, Millie Brown, Gaten Matarazzo, Caleb McLaughlin, Noah Schnapp, Natalia Dyer and Charlie Heaton. Stranger Things was created by Matt Duffer and Ross Duffer (Wayward Pines) and will be executive produced by Shawn Levy (REAL STEEL). The eight-episode series will debut in 2016.