Netflix Orders 'Stranger Things' Prequel 'Other Worlds' to Series

Netflix has ordered the long-gestating "Stranger Things" spinoff to series. The show, titled "Other Worlds: A Stranger Things Adventure," is set to debut in 2028, Variety reports.

The announcement arrived on Nov. 6 — "Stranger Things" Day, the annual celebration marking the day Will Byers disappeared in the original show in 1983. The date is doing promotional work here; the substance is thinner.

What do we actually know about the plot? Very little, by design. "Other Worlds" is a prequel set in the 1950s, before the events of both "Stranger Things" and the stage show "Stranger Things: The First Shadow." A teaser asset confirms the series takes place in 1955 in Marion, Nevada. In an interview tied to the series finale, Matt and Ross Duffer teased that the spinoff would focus on events prior to Henry Creel — later Vecna — being exposed to the substance that gave him his powers.

Beyond that, nothing. No cast, no episode count beyond a director's first three. Netflix and the creators have promised a new era; they have not yet promised a story anyone can evaluate.

Who is making it?

• Co-created by the Duffer brothers and Kate Trefry, a "Stranger Things" writer and author of "The First Shadow"
• Trefry serves as showrunner and executive producer
• Joe Wright directs the first three episodes and executive produces
• Executive producers include Shawn Levy of 21 Laps, Paul Dichter, Shelley Meals, Andrea Sperling and Pavlina Hatoupis
• The series will film in New Mexico

The Duffers executive produce under their Upside Down Pictures banner. Notably, "Other Worlds" is a carve-out of their overall deal at Paramount — a deal they struck in 2025 after their previous Netflix overall agreement, which expires in April 2026. The brothers's flagship loyalty, in other words, now runs through two studios.

The quotes are warm, and carefully uninformative. "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," the Duffers said, praising Trefry — "in the trenches with us since Season 2" — and Wright, "a brilliant artist whose work we've long admired." They added: "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 was more expansive on the creative brief. "The Duffer Brothers gave me my first paying job in Hollywood, and it has been a joy and a fever dream ever since," she said. "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.'"

Netflix's Jinny Howe, Head of Scripted Series, US & Canada, framed the order as fan service: "'Stranger Things' has always belonged to the fans, and their passion made it a worldwide phenomenon. 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." Levy struck a similar chord, saying the new series "is imbued with the DNA of our flagship series while exploring a new era, setting and all-new characters, themes and mythology."

What does this change for the franchise? "Other Worlds" becomes the fourth project in the "Stranger Things" universe, joining the mothership series — which ended its run at the end of 2025 — the animated "Stranger Things: Tales from '85" and the stage production "The First Shadow." The spinoff was first reported to be in development in 2022, meaning Netflix held this card for three years before playing it.

With casting described by the Duffers as the next step, the real test arrives later: whether a Hawkins without the original cast can carry the mythology on its own in 2028.