The First Shadow is coming to Netflix

Throughout the final season of Stranger Things, fans kept circling back to the same refrain: “It makes sense if you’ve seen the play.” That play is Stranger Things: The First Shadow, a prequel to the streaming series that debuted on London’s West End in 2023 and is currently on Broadway. Now, Collider reports that a performance of the stage play is set to be filmed for Netflix release.

There’s no set release date, but filming is expected to take place from Feb. 10 to 14, and will feature the original Broadway cast, including Louis McCartney as Henry Creel (aka Vecna), Gabrielle Nevaeh as Patty Newby, T.R. Knight as Victor Creel (Henry’s father), and Alex Breaux as Dr. Brenner (played by Matthew Modine in the series).

Photo: Manuel Harlan

Stranger Things: The First Shadow follows Henry Creel as a high-school student in Hawkins, where he goes to school with Jim Hopper and Joyce Maldonado (later Joyce Byers). The story focuses on Henry’s growing psychic powers, which attract Dr. Brenner’s interest. It also reveals how Henry got those powers — something the show explored in its final season, but never fully explained. The play also notably revealed that Henry went to school with Joyce and Hopper, which Stranger Things‘ final season completely glosses over.

If you watched Stranger Things season 5 and weren’t able to score tickets to see The First Shadow in either London or New York, you probably read a recap of the play at some point just to understand parts of the series finale. While complete knowledge of the play wasn’t necessary to follow the season, it definitely helped explain a few things about Vecna’s origins and the psychic plane where he imprisons all those kids. Now that The First Shadow is coming to Netflix, fans will finally be able to see that backstory for themselves.