Netflix has officially ordered a live-action prequel series titled Other Worlds: A Stranger Things Adventure, set to arrive in 2028. The show will travel back to 1955 in Marion, Nevada, long before the events of Stranger Things and even before the stage play The First Shadow, to explore what happened to Henry Creel before he was exposed to the otherworldly substance that turned him into Vecna. The announcement landed on Stranger Things Day, November 6, 2026, the same date Will Byers disappeared in the original series. A short teaser confirmed the setting and gave fans a first look at the eerie world of Marion, Nevada, on April 19, 1955.
What Is ‘Other Worlds’ and How Does It Fit the Franchise?
Other Worlds: A Stranger Things Adventure is the fourth project set in the Stranger Things universe, following the main series, the animated show Stranger Things: Tales from ’85, and the stage play Stranger Things: The First Shadow. The prequel is a live-action series co-created by Matt Duffer, Ross Duffer, and longtime Stranger Things writer Kate Trefry, who also serves as showrunner and executive producer.
The timeline places Other Worlds decades before the Hawkins gang uncovered a supernatural conspiracy in their small Indiana town. It also sits earlier than The First Shadow, which explored Henry Creel’s troubled past in Hawkins in 1959. The new series is a separate story with a new setting and new characters, but it shares the same creative DNA as the flagship show.
Where and When Does the Prequel Take Place?
The teaser set a precise date: April 19, 1955, in Marion, Nevada. The location is a fictional town on the other side of the United States from Hawkins, Indiana. The teaser shows a deserted bike outside a restricted area with a “Use of deadly force authorized” sign, a mystery facility lit up at night, and an unusual disturbance in the sky that looks like a wormhole forming.
The setting connects directly to the Nevada experiment featured in The First Shadow. Other Worlds takes place just a couple of years before the events of that experiment. Matt Duffer has said the prequel will explain the rock that young Henry Creel finds in a scientist’s briefcase in the Nevadan caves—a detail first introduced in the stage play before it appeared in Stranger Things Season 5.
Who Is Making the Show Behind the Scenes?
Kate Trefry is the showrunner, co-creator, writer, and executive producer. She wrote Stranger Things: The First Shadow and has been part of the Stranger Things writing team since Season 2. Joe Wright, the BAFTA and Golden Globe–winning director known for Pride & Prejudice, Atonement, and Darkest Hour, will direct the first three episodes and executive produce.
Additional executive producers include Matt Duffer and Ross Duffer through Upside Down Pictures, Shawn Levy and 21 Laps, Paul Dichter, Shelley Meals, Andrea Sperling, and Pavlina Hatoupis. Production will take place in New Mexico.
“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,” said Matt and Ross Duffer. “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!”
“The Duffer Brothers gave me my first paying job in Hollywood, and it has been a joy and a fever dream ever since,” said Kate Trefry. “Now, it is my insane honor and privilege to be bringing this new chapter of Stranger Things to life alongside them and our incredible director, Joe Wright.”
What Story Will ‘Other Worlds’ Tell?
The series will explore the events leading up to Henry Creel’s exposure to the otherworldly substance that gave him his powers and eventually transformed him into Vecna. Henry Creel is the boy who becomes the terrifying villain Vecna, also known as 001 and Mr. Whatsit. The prequel will answer some of the loose threads left after Stranger Things Season 5, including the mystery of the rock in the scientist’s briefcase.
Shawn Levy described the show as a new ensemble and adventure that carries the DNA of the flagship series while exploring a new era, setting, and all-new characters, themes, and mythology.
“With Other Worlds, the Duffer Brothers and Kate Trefry craft a new ensemble and adventure that is imbued with the DNA of our flagship series while exploring a new era, setting, and all-new characters, themes, and mythology — the seeds of which may have been planted in Hawkins, but now venture into other worlds of spectacle, action, and emotion,” said Shawn Levy.
Cast and Production Details
Casting is currently in progress. No actors have been announced yet, and the Duffer Brothers confirmed that the show will feature a whole new cast. Fans should not expect stars like Millie Bobby Brown or Finn Wolfhard to return, as the story is set decades before their characters were born. Some viewers have suggested that Joe Keery could play an ancestor of Steve Harrington, but nothing has been confirmed.
The teaser’s use of The Chords’ “Sh-Boom” is a direct link to young Henry Creel. The song plays in Stranger Things Season 5, Episode 4, when Max visits the memory of Henry Creel at Hawkins High.
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Release Information for Global Audiences
Other Worlds: A Stranger Things Adventure will premiere on Netflix in 2028. An exact date has not been announced yet. Because Netflix is a global streaming platform, the series is expected to be available simultaneously in the United States, the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, India, and other territories worldwide. The show is a Netflix original produced by 21 Laps Entertainment, and it will debut exclusively on the streamer.
“Today, on Stranger Things Day, we’re honored to partner again with Matt and Ross Duffer and Kate Trefry to give fans a new dimension of this universe to step into,” said Jinny Howe, Netflix’s head of scripted series in the US and Canada. “Other Worlds: A Stranger Things Adventure takes us to the 1950s with new heroes and all the heart, mystery, and spectacle of the original series.”
How Fans Are Reacting to the Announcement
Reactions to the prequel have been mixed. Some viewers are excited to return to the Stranger Things universe. “The Stranger Things universe keeps getting more exciting! Can’t wait to see what new mysteries this prequel brings,” one user wrote on X. Another commented, “Omggg I miss Stranger Things!! I’ll definitely be watching this”.
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Other fans are more skeptical about the franchise expanding again. “Milking the Franchise ATP” wrote one user, while another added, “you guys just be milking this shit atp but im kinda sat”. A discussion on r/television pointed out that nostalgia for the 1950s may not resonate as strongly with modern audiences as the 1980s setting of the original show did.
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