Stranger Things: The First Shadow Reveals Cast, Including Young Hopper, Vecna, Joyce, and Bob

Stranger Things: The First Shadow, the upcoming Stranger Things prequel play headed to London's West End, has revealed its cast, including the actors playing young Jim Hopper, Joyce Byers, Bob Newby, and Henry Creel (David Harbour, Sean Astin, Winona Ryder, and Jamie Campbell Bower in the Netflix series, respectively). Developing by Netflix and Sonia Friedman Productions, Stranger Things: The First Shadow occurs in Hawkins, Indiana in 1959. Kate Trefry wrote the play, with Stephen Daldry directing and Justin Martin co-directing. Rehearsals are in session now ahead of the play's opening at the Phoenix Theater on December 14th. Stranger Things: The First Shadow will go more in-depth into the life of Henry Creel to reveal the true origin of the villainous Vecna.

Stranger Things: The First Shadow's cast includes: Oscar Lloyd as James Hopper, Jr., Isabella Pappas as Joyce Maldonado, Christopher Buckley as Bob Newby, Michael Jibson as Victor Creel, Patrick Vaill as Dr. Brenner, Shane Attwooll as Chief Hopper, Kemi Awoderu as Sue Anderson, Chase Brown as Lonnie Byers, Ammar Duffus as Charles Sinclair, Gilles Geary as Ted Wheeler, Florence Guy as Karen Childress, Max Harwood as Allen Munson, Louis McCartney as Henry Creel, Matthew Pidgeon as Father Newby, Calum Ross as Walter Henderson, Maisie Norma Seaton as Claudia Henderson, Lauren Ward as Virginia Creel and Ella Karuna Williams as Patty Newby. Additional castmembers include Tricia Adele-Turner, Lauren Arney, Reya-Nyomi Brown, Patricia Castro, Lydia Fraser, Isaac Gryn, Mark Hammersley, Tom Peters, Kingdom Sibanda, Tiana Simone, Danny Sykes and Meesha Turner.

Step into Hawkins 1959 with the cast of #StrangerThingsonStage.

Before they were a chief, a mother, and a superhero…they were classmates. #OscarLloyd is James Hopper Jr. @IsabellaPappas1 is Joyce Maldonado @chris_buckley94 is Bob Newby

📸: Charlie Gray pic.twitter.com/TamaBvkjAj

— Stranger Things On Stage (@STOnStage) September 20, 2023

"The cast of Stranger Things: The First Shadow is nothing short of phenomenal," Stranger Things creators the Duffer Brothers, who are executive producers of the play, said in a press release. "These actors brilliantly explore the early days of many fan favorites — including Hopper, Joyce, Bob, Henry and Dr. Brenner — while also bringing new characters to vivid life. We couldn't be more thrilled and can't wait for you to meet them all live on stage. See you in London, nerds!"

"With rehearsals now underway, it's a joy to discover the world of Stranger Things: The First Shadow with our ferociously talented cast and watch the alchemy amongst our entire company grow as we together explore this new play. They're an extraordinarily gifted group of actors, and we can't wait to share this origin story with audiences," Daldry and Martin said in the press release.

What is the Stranger Things: The First Shadow stage play about?

Stranger Things The First Shadow goes back to the beginning of the Stranger Things saga, when Henry Creel and his family moved to Hawkins, Indiana. The play teases that "this gripping new adventure will take you right back to the beginning of the Stranger Things story – and may hold the key to the end." Stranger Things: The First Shadow also offers fans the opportunity to see younger versions of Stranger Things favorites like Jim Hopper, Joyce Byers, née Maldonado, and Bob Newby. Here's the official synopsis for the play:

"Hawkins, 1959: a regular town with regular worries. Young Jim Hopper's car won't start, Bob Newby's sister won't take his radio show seriously and Joyce Maldonado just wants to graduate and get the hell out of town. When new student Henry Creel arrives, his family finds that a fresh start isn't so easy... and the shadows of the past have a very long reach."

Stranger Things streams on Netflix. The fifth and final season of Stranger Things is currently on hold due to the WGA writers strike.