Stranger Things prequel Other Worlds urges fans to ‘watch the skies’

Netflix has officially announced a new live-action prequel series titled Other Worlds: A Stranger Things Adventure, expanding the hit franchise back to the 1950s.

The streaming service unveiled the project on Friday, November 6, releasing a teaser and setting the story in the fictional town of Marion, Nevada, on April 19, 1955. The announcement arrived on Stranger Things Day, the annual franchise celebration marking the date in 1983 when Will Byers vanished in the flagship show’s first season.

Netflix posted the teaser clip with the caption: “Before Hawkins, there was Marion.”

Inside the new timeline and creative team

The prequel is scheduled for release in 2028 and will take place before both the original television series and the stage play Stranger Things: The First Shadow. Longtime franchise writer Kate Trefry, who penned The First Shadow, co-created the series with Matt Duffer and Ross Duffer. Trefry will serve as showrunner, writer, and executive producer, while Joe Wright is set to direct the first three episodes and executive produce.

“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,” Matt and Ross Duffer said in a statement released through Netflix Tudum. “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!”

Trefry also reflected on her journey with the franchise, having worked as a staff writer on the main show before taking the helm of the prequel.

“The Duffer Brothers gave me my first paying job in Hollywood, and it has been a joy and a fever dream ever since,” Trefry said in a statement. “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. With the support of Netflix and 21Laps, we have had the time of our lives returning to all the horror, wonder and mystery of the flagship, while also telling a wholly new story, one we hope will blow your minds and break your hearts all over again. There are so many more mysteries to explore. Welcome to Other Worlds.”

Clues in the teaser

Online communities quickly began dissecting the teaser’s visual hints, noting classic franchise imagery alongside period details. Outlets including NME and Digital Spy highlighted an abandoned bicycle, a radio playing the 1950s hit “Sh-Boom”, a fenced-off restricted zone, and an ominous burst in the clouds resembling a UFO or portal.

Some fans speculated that the Nevada setting might connect to Henry Creel as a child before his family moved to Hawkins, though Netflix has not confirmed any story links to Vecna or his origins.

Executive producers for the series include the Duffer brothers through Upside Down Pictures, Shawn Levy via 21 Laps Entertainment, Wright, Paul Dichter, Shelley Meals, Andrea Sperling, and Pavlina Hatoupis. Production will take place in New Mexico.

What we know and what we do not know yet

Jinny Howe, Netflix’s head of scripted series for the US and Canada, confirmed the streamer’s commitment to expanding the world created by the Duffers.

“Stranger Things has always belonged to the fans, and their passion made it a worldwide phenomenon,” Howe said in an official statement reported by outlets including E! News and The Independent. “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.”

While the setting and creative leads are set, many details remain under wraps. Casting is just getting underway, meaning no actors have been revealed. Netflix has also not shared the total episode order beyond Wright’s first three chapters, or a specific calendar date for its 2028 debut.