Now that it’s been almost a year since Season 5 finally premiered on Netflix after a long and arduous wait, Stranger Things suddenly feels like a distant memory.That’s not to say the franchise itself has ended, though, as it continues with live performances of the award-winning stage production Stranger Things: The First Shadow, which explores Henry Creel’s time as a teenager in Hawkins, and it has already given us two seasons of Stranger Things: Tales From ’85, a 3D animated spinoff set between seasons 2 and 3 of the flagship series.Netflix has filmed the Broadway production of The First Shadow for a streaming release, although a release date has yet to be announced. The stage play is also being adapted into a graphic novel by Dark Horse. Needless to say, the franchise is continuing across different media.Still, it seems its original cast is now a thing of the past.Credit: Flying Bark Productions / Upside Down Pictures / 21 Laps Entertainment / NetflixStranger Things became an overnight success when it premiered on Netflix back in 2016, introducing Millie Bobby Brown (Eleven), Finn Wolfhard (Mike Wheeler), Gaten Matarazzo (Dustin Henderson), Caleb McLaughlin (Lucas Sinclair), and Noah Schnapp (Will Byers) to audiences.But while Season 5 was mostly a happy ending for the beloved Hawkins gang — they defeated Vecna/Henry Creel/One (Jamie Campbell Bower) and saved the world from the Upside Down — it wasn’t without sacrifice and real-world controversy.Eleven’s apparent death was a hard pill to swallow for many fans, although theories that she lives on have offered some comfort. But what was even harder to watch was the discourse and controversy surrounding the finale, which saw fans launch an online petition demanding the release of unseen footage and an extended cut of the entire season, while the fake-ending theory “Conformity Gate” went viral.Credit: NetflixNew Stranger Things Spinoff AnnouncedSince then, there has been talk of a live-action spinoff series, which the Duffer brothers themselves said won’t have any “common characters” with the flagship series, and which would potentially answer questions about the mysterious briefcase rock revealed in the Season 5 finale “The Rightside Up”.“The spinoff is going to delve into that [the briefcase rock] and explain that, and you’re going to understand it,” Matt Duffer revealed earlier this year. “But it’s a completely different mythology. So it’s not a deep exploration of the Mind Flayer or anything like that. It’s very fresh and very new, but yes, it will answer some of the loose threads that are remaining.”“It’s very exciting to work with a clean slate: completely new characters, new town, new world, new mythology,” he continued, before adding that there will be “no common characters” with the main Netflix series.Now, Netflix has revealed the title for the upcoming spinoff, along with a brief teaser, courtesy of Stranger Things Day (November 6).Revealed in an official announcement video, Other Worlds: A Stranger Things Adventure will take place in the 1950s, not only predating the flagship series and Tales From ’85, but also The First Shadow.“We’ve been dreaming of Other Worlds: A Stranger Things Adventure for many years now, and to see it become a reality is surreal and exhilarating,” Matt and Ross Duffer said, per Netflix Tudum. “It’s Stranger Things, but also thrillingly fresh, with a new setting, new heroes and villains, and new … actually, we’re not allowed to say any more. Now, on to casting. In the meantime — watch the skies, nerds!”Showrunner, co-creator, and writer Kate Trefry, who also penned the script for The First Shadow, will executive produce alongside BAFTA and Golden Globe–winning director Joe Wright (Pride & Prejudice, Atonement, Darkest Hour), who will direct the first three episodes.“The Duffer Brothers gave me my first paying job in Hollywood, and it has been a joy and a fever dream ever since,” Trefry said. “Now, it is my insane honor and privilege to be bringing this new chapter of Stranger Things to life alongside them and our incredible director, Joe Wright. With the support of Netflix and 21 Laps, we have had the time of our lives returning to all the horror, wonder, and mystery of the flagship, while also telling a wholly new story, one we hope will blow your minds and break your hearts all over again. There are so many more mysteries to explore. Welcome to Other Worlds.”Additional EPs include Matt and Ross Duffer via Upside Down Pictures, Shawn Levy and his 21 Laps, Paul Dichter, Shelley Meals, Andrea Sperling, and Pavlina Hatoupis.Levy, who directed several Stranger Things episodes, says, “With Other Worlds, the Duffer Brothers and Kate Trefry craft a new ensemble and adventure that is imbued with the DNA of our flagship series while exploring a new era, setting, and all-new characters, themes, and mythology — the seeds of which may have been planted in Hawkins, but now venture into other worlds of spectacle, action, and emotion.”Whether or not the original cast will ever return remains to be seen. Though there have been rumors that Millie Bobby Brown and Finn Wolfhard will appear together in another series, nothing has been confirmed. Meanwhile, Tales From ’85 features an entirely different voice cast.Stranger Things Season 1–5, and Tales From ’85 Seasons 1 and 2, are now streaming.Other Worlds is expected to arrive in 2028.Are you excited about Other Worlds: A Stranger Things Adventure, or do you think the franchise has had its time in the sun? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below!The post Live-Action ‘Stranger Things’ Officially Moves on Without Millie Bobby Brown and Original Cast appeared first on Inside the Magic.