Netflix has confirmed Other Worlds: A Stranger Things Adventure, a live-action Stranger Things prequel set in 1955 Nevada and planned for 2028. Creators Matt and Ross Duffer and showrunner Kate Trefry lead the project, with Joe Wright directing the opening episodes. The first teaser establishes the setting while casting and plot details remain undisclosed.

Key Takeaways

• Netflix announced Other Worlds: A Stranger Things Adventure on November 6, 2026, with a planned 2028 debut
• The first teaser places the story in Marion, Nevada, on April 19, 1955
• Kate Trefry serves as showrunner and co-creator, while Joe Wright will direct the first three episodes
• The series takes place before the original Stranger Things and the stage production The First Shadow
• Production is planned for New Mexico, but casting, episode count and an exact premiere date remain unannounced

The Stranger Things prequel has a title, a setting and a place in the franchise’s timeline. Netflix announced Other Worlds: A Stranger Things Adventure on Friday, November 6, 2026, during Stranger Things Day, with an initial teaser placing the new story in Marion, Nevada, decades before the Hawkins events of the original show.

The announcement follows the conclusion of Stranger Things, whose fifth and final season ended on December 31, 2025. Rather than a sixth season, Netflix describes a separate live-action production with new characters. Co-creators Matt and Ross Duffer said the project would feature “a new setting, new heroes and villains,” although they have not disclosed who those characters are.

Stranger Things Prequel Teaser Sets the Story in 1955 Nevada

The teaser opens with a bicycle lying on its side near a restricted area. A radio attached to the handlebars plays the 1950s song “Sh-Boom.” The view shifts from the abandoned bicycle toward a dark, clouded sky before onscreen text establishes the date and location: April 19, 1955, in Marion, Nevada.

A sudden flash and loud sound interrupt the scene before the project’s title appears. The footage offers no identifiable main character, named antagonist or explanation for the disturbance. It establishes an earlier setting without revealing whether the events shown are connected to specific creatures or mysteries from the original series.

Netflix shared the teaser on November 6, the annual Stranger Things Day observance marking the fictional date of Will Byers’ disappearance in 1983. The announcement used the phrase “Before Hawkins, there was Marion,” drawing attention to the new location rather than identifying a returning character.

The setting is an important distinction because five seasons of Stranger Things followed an ensemble based in Hawkins, Indiana. Other Worlds shifts the story to Nevada and back to the mid-1950s, but Netflix has not said whether the teaser’s date represents the start of the season or its entire timeline.

Other Worlds Takes Place Before The First Shadow

Other Worlds takes place before Stranger Things: The First Shadow, the stage play written by Kate Trefry that explores Henry Creel’s past in Hawkins in 1959. The date in the new teaser is four years earlier. Netflix has not announced that the television prequel will adapt the play or follow Henry as its central character.

The original Stranger Things debuted in 2016 and followed young residents of Hawkins during the 1980s. The fifth season completed their story in late 2025. Netflix’s description of Other Worlds instead emphasizes a different ensemble and location, making it distinct from a continuation centered on the original characters.

Millie Bobby Brown, who played Eleven in the original show, has separately returned to Netflix through the third Enola Holmes film. That project is unrelated to Other Worlds, and the company has not confirmed that Brown or any other Stranger Things performer is joining the prequel.

Netflix has also expanded the fictional timeline through Stranger Things: Tales From ’85, an animated series set during the winter of 1985 with the Hawkins characters. The company says the first two seasons are streaming. Other Worlds is a separate, live-action production set three decades earlier.

Netflix said The First Shadow is scheduled to finish its London run on December 27, 2026, and its Broadway run on January 3, 2027. Those theatrical performances remain separate from the newly announced television prequel.

Kate Trefry Leads the Prequel With Joe Wright Directing

Kate Trefry is the showrunner, writer, co-creator and executive producer of Other Worlds. She previously wrote for Stranger Things and scripted The First Shadow, giving her established experience with the franchise’s characters and chronology. Matt and Ross Duffer are co-creators and executive producers through Upside Down Pictures.

Joe Wright, who directed Pride & Prejudice, Atonement and Darkest Hour, will direct the first three episodes and serve as an executive producer. Netflix has not disclosed the total episode count or identified the directors responsible for later installments.

The executive producer roster also includes Shawn Levy through 21 Laps, Paul Dichter, Shelley Meals, Andrea Sperling and Pavlina Hatoupis. Several participants have worked on earlier Stranger Things productions, while the newly announced series moves the storyline away from Hawkins.

Executive producer Levy has described a new ensemble and mythology while retaining connections to the larger franchise. That characterization does not establish a specific storyline.

In the announcement, the Duffer brothers said they had been developing the concept for years. Trefry described the production as a new story that retains the horror and mystery elements associated with the original. Neither statement revealed a specific plot, character lineup or antagonist.

Netflix Confirms a 2028 Window Without a Premiere Date

Netflix has announced New Mexico as the filming location for Other Worlds. That should not be confused with the fictional setting of Marion, Nevada. The company has not given a production start date or confirmed when filming will be completed.

Other Netflix productions have disclosed more specific milestones, including Wednesday Season 3 finished filming. No comparable production update has been issued for Other Worlds, and a target debut year is not the same as a finalized premiere date.

As of November 7, 2026, Netflix has not announced a cast, episode count, detailed synopsis or exact launch day for the Stranger Things prequel. Its November 6 announcement establishes the 2028 target, confirms the creative team and identifies the earlier setting.

The new series is distinct from the already available animated Tales From ’85 and from The First Shadow stage production. Netflix continues to offer all five seasons of the original Stranger Things, while the prequel remains an announced project with a production location and release year but limited story details.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the Stranger Things prequel called?

The Stranger Things prequel is titled Other Worlds: A Stranger Things Adventure. Netflix announced the live-action series on November 6, 2026, as a new production from Matt and Ross Duffer and Kate Trefry.

When will Other Worlds be released on Netflix?

Netflix has scheduled Other Worlds for a 2028 debut. The company has not announced an exact premiere date or confirmed which month the series will begin streaming.

Where does Other Worlds take place?

The teaser places the story in Marion, Nevada, on April 19, 1955. Although the fictional setting is Nevada, Netflix has confirmed that production will take place in New Mexico.

Will the original Stranger Things cast return?

Netflix has not announced any cast members for Other Worlds. The company describes the prequel as featuring new heroes and villains, but it has not confirmed whether established characters will make appearances.