Stranger Things is over, but the minds behind the mega-hit Netflix series are going back in time with their forthcoming animated offering, Stranger Things: Tales From ’85.
This new tale is set in Hawkins during the winter of 1985, which means it takes place between the second and third seasons of the flagship series. Stranger Things proper covered the years 1983-1987, with each season taking place in a new year.
This series features animated versions of the show’s original characters — Eleven, Mike, Will, Dustin, Lucas and Max — with one new edition: Nikki, who is described as “a tough, mohawk-wearing gal.” The gang sets out to “fight new monsters and unravel a paranormal mystery terrorizing their town.”
Stranger Things creators Ross and Matt Duffer executive produce Stranger Things: Tales From ’85, which releases all 10 episodes on April 23. However, the Duffers are not showrunning this one; Eric Robles (Glitch Techs, The Grim Adventures of Billy and Mandy) steps into that role. The Duffers are executive producing the Flying Bark series along with Hilary Leavitt via Upside Down Pictures, Shawn Levy via 21 Laps and Dan Cohen.
The trailer released this week (below) shows the gang during happier times in 1985 — before the latter seasons would introduce villain Vecna (played by Jamie Campbell Bower in the original series) and an even more insidious era of the Upside Down. The best addition to see back in the group is, of course, Elle (played by Millie Bobby Brown in the original series), given how her story ended in the series finale.
“It’s like Hawkins Lab science meets Upside Down matter. When you put them together, those are the kinds of creatures we have in our world,” Robles, also writer and executive producer, told Tudum about a new shark-like monster inspired by Jaws. “Underneath all that snow, there’s something lurking, and you just never know where that thing’s going to come out and grab you.”
Here’s the official logline: “In the winter of 1985, snow blankets the town and the horrors of the Upside Down are finally fading. Our heroes Eleven, Mike, Will, Dustin, Lucas, and Max have settled back into a normal life of D&D, snowball fights, and quiet days. But beneath the ice, something terrifying has awakened. Could it be from the Upside Down? From the depths of Hawkins Lab? Or from somewhere else entirely? Our heroes must race to solve this mystery and save Hawkins in this new story set in the Stranger Things universe.”
The cast includes Brooklyn Davey Norstedt as Eleven aka “Elle,” Jolie Hoang-Rappaport as Max, Luca Diaz as Mike, Elisha “EJ” Williams as Lucas, Braxton Quinney as Dustin, Ben Plessala as Will, Brett Gipson as Hopper, Odessa A’zion as Nikki Baxer, Jeremy Jordan as Steve, Janeane Garofalo as Anna Baxter and Lou Diamond Phillips as Daniel Fischer. Additional voice cast includes Robert Englund as Cosmo, Alysia Reiner as Karen Wheeler, Alessandra Antonelli as Nancy Wheeler, Valeria Rodriguez as Rosario and Jack Griffo as Jeff.
After giving Stranger Things a sendoff that included a short theatrical run for the series finale, Netflix will head back to cinemas with Tales From ’85. The show’s first two episodes (which have a total run time of about 55 minutes) will play in select AMC cinemas on April 18, five days before the show’s Netflix release date. (Details here.)
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