Wouldn’t it be awesome if Ashton Kutcher’s Punk’d was still around so that it could crossover with Stranger Things? Okay, that might not actually be good, but Netflix found a way to take that concept and make it something we actually want to watch. The streaming service currently producing a hidden camera prank show of its own, this one hosted by one of the standout stars of Stranger Things.
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On Friday, Deadline broke the news that Netflix had ordered eight episodes of a new prank series called Prank Encounters. The show will be executive produced and hosted by Gaten Matarazzo, best known for playing Dustin on Stranger Things. Prank Encounters comes from Ben Silverman and Howard Owens’ Propagate and it is currently set to launch on Netflix later this year.
The series will put a spin on the classic hidden camera concept, placing two complete strangers together, believing they’re at their first day of work at a new job. However, as the day goes on, things start going horribly wrong, and their worst nightmares will come true.
Joining Matarazzo as executive producers are Ben Silverman, Kevin Healey, and Rob Hyde. Anthony Gonzalez (Dance Moms, Undercover Boss) is set to direct.
Matarazzo has been one of the child stars that has blown up since Stranger Things first launched in 2016, along with Millie Bobby Brown, Finn Wolfhard, Caleb McLaughlin, and Noah Schnapp. The group will return for the third installment of the beloved sci-fi series on July 4th, joined by fellow stars Winona Ryder, David Harbour, Natalia Dyer, Joe Keery, Charlie Heaton, Sadie Sink, and Dacre Montgomery.
Netflix has been making a substantial push in the world of unscripted TV as of late, with Prank Encounters marking one of just many recent ventures into the genre. Last week, the streaming service launched The Chef Show, from Jon Favreau and Roy Choi, which has been met with plenty of acclaim from both fans and critics.
While there is no set release date at this time, Prank Encounters will arrive at some point in 2019.
