The First Shadow Drops Trailer, Extends West End Run
Stranger Things: The First Shadow, the hit theatrical prequel, has extended its run on London’s West End into 2025 and shared a new teaser that offers a look at some of the impressive stagecraft anchoring the production.
Set in 1959, the show features younger versions of several Stranger Things characters, like Jim Hopper, Joyce Maldonado, Dr. Brenner, and Bob Newby, but it primarily focuses on the story of Henry Creel: The new kid in Hawkins, Indiana, who finds himself subjected to some harrowing experiments and ultimately transforms into the Upside Down entity, Vecna. The new “Meet Henry Creel” trailer offers the first filmed look at the production, highlighting Henry’s story and the remarkable design and special effects that help tell it.
The First Shadow premiered at the Phoenix Theatre late last year, and tickets are now on sale through Feb. 16, 2025. The show has earned rave reviews and also picked up several Laurence Olivier Award nominations (West End’s equivalent to the Tonys), ultimately winning Best Set Design.
Unsurprisingly, The First Shadow appears to be plotting a move to Broadway, with casting notices for the show going up earlier this year. Stephen Daldry, who directed the London production, is slated to helm the Broadway show, too, with opening night tentatively taking place sometime in 2025.
Amidst the successes of thestage show, production on the fifth and final season of the Stranger Things TV show is also underway after being delayed last year because of the writers and actors strikes. There still aren’t a lot of concrete details about the new season, such as when it will premiere, but it has been confirmed that Linda Hamilton is set to join the cast.
Stranger Things creators Matt and Ross Duffer announced that the sci-fi series would end after Season Five back in Feb. 2022, a few months before the premiere of Season Four. But while the flagship show may be ending, the Duffers have big plans for the burgeoning franchise. Along with The First Shadow, potential animated and live-action spin-offs are also in the works.
