Stranger Things unveils first look at First Shadow prequel

Stranger Things fans get more of their beloved series today as it moves into the final Season 5 installment, in the form of footage of a new stage play. Stranger Things: The First Shadow has released its first teaser -serving as a prequel with the arrival of Henry Creel in Hawkins.

The fourth season of the Netflix series was irrevocably one of the best as it introduced the Upside Down’s leading villain, Vecna. The monster behind Hawkins’ and the main characters’ ordeals stemmed from his reign in the alternate dimension. As the series went on, fans were struck with the sudden truth that Vecna was none other than Henry Creel (Jamie Campbell Bower), or Number One.

With the fifth and final season coming to Netflix soon, the Duffer brothers have masterminded a new storyline for the Stranger Things universe. Stranger Things: The First Shadow will be a London stage play that takes place in 1950s Hawkins, Indiana.

That’s right. Fans will get a prequel story to their favorite characters like Hopper, Joyce, Bob, and Creel himself.

Stranger Things: The First Shadow will have a romance

Set in 1959, a young Henry Creel first moves into Hawkins while a young Joyce, Hopper, Bob, and a newcomer try to figure out their lives in High School.

In a sneak peek at the play, the Duffer brothers explain that they wanted to create an original storyline within the Stranger Things world, and they certainly have. The play serves as a prequel to Henry’s first arrival and childhood in the Creel house. But fans will also get to see the younger version of the beloved adult character and a surprise newcomer.

The official press release reads, “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.”

Ella Karuna Williams will star in Stranger Things: The First Shadow as Patty Newby, Bob’s sister. Writer Kate Trefty reveals she and Henry (Louis McCartney) will develop a budding romance. That’s not all as fans will also get to meet Eddie Munson’s father, Alan Munson during his younger years, played by actor Max Harwood. As well as Hopper’s father, Loonie Byers, Ted Wheeler, Walter Henderson, and more.

The Tony-winning team promises a lot of VFX, blood, and guts as they take on a story never seen before in the Netflix series.

As fans are aware, Henry was the original experiment long before Eleven and was soon banished to the alternate dimension by her. But who was Henry before his dark history and rise as Vecna?

“We are beyond excited about Stranger Things: The First Shadow,” said the Duffer brothers, according to Collider. “Collaborating with the brilliant Stephen Daldry has been nothing short of inspiring, and Kate Trefry has written a play that is at turns surprising, scary, and heartfelt. You will meet endearing new characters, as well as very familiar ones, on a journey into the past that sets the groundwork for the future of Stranger Things. We’re dying to tell you more about the story but won’t – it’s more fun to discover it for yourself. Can’t wait to see you nerds in London!”  

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