LONDON – Netflix’s hit streaming series Stranger Things (2016 to present) is about to get its theatre debut.

The prequel, Stranger Things: The First Shadow, will be set in the fictional town of Hawkins in 1959 and follows some familiar characters, including a young Jim Hopper, the town police chief played by David Harbour in the series.

This will be the streaming giant’s first live stage production.

The show will run at London’s Phoenix Theatre in late 2023. It will be written by Kate Trefry, who also worked on the television series.

The story is by Trefry, Stranger Things creators the Duffer brothers, and Jack Thorne, who penned the stage play for Harry Potter And The Cursed Child.

Stranger Things: The First Shadow is being produced by theatre powerhouse Sonia Friedman Productions, with production company 21 Laps Entertainment as associate producers.

It will be directed by Stephen Daldry, who has won three Tony Awards for his work on Broadway and an Olivier Award for his work in the West End.

Here is what has been released about the plot. Hawkins, 1959: A regular town with regular worries. Young Hopper’s car will not start, Bob Newby’s sister will not take his radio show seriously, and Joyce Maldonado just wants to graduate and get out of town. When new student Henry Creel arrives, his family finds that a fresh start is not so easy, and the shadows of the past have a very long reach.

In a statement, producer Sonia Friedman said: “The world and mythology of Stranger Things have enabled a rich and fertile ground for creating an incredible story for the stage.

“Set within the canon of Stranger Things, this new play opens in London, with the West End hosting the only place in the world to experience this new story – for now.”

Casting for roles like young Hopper has not been announced, and ticket information is yet to come. BLOOMBERG