Netflix locks down cast for upcoming supernatural series, Stranger Things

By Stephanie Topacio Long August 20, 2015

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Netflix has found the young stars of its upcoming supernatural series, Stranger Things. The eight-episode series, which was previously known as Montauk, will be set in Indiana in the 80s and will explore a boy’s mysterious disappearance.

The young cast was found after a worldwide search. In the end, Netflix chose Finn Wolfhard, Millie Brown, Gaten Matarazzo, Caleb McLaughlin, Noah Schnapp, Natalia Dyer, and Charlie Heaton to star alongside adult leads Winona Ryder and David Harbour. The talented group comes with a range of experience, including voice-acting, Broadway, network TV shows, and indie films.

In Stranger Things, a family and town are rocked after a 12-year-old boy, Will (Schnapp), goes missing. His mother, Joyce (Ryder), siblings (Dyer and Heaton), and friends continue to seek answers, along with the town’s chief of police (Harbour). Will’s best friend, Mike (Wolfhard), is particularly determined to save his friend, and along the way, he encounters a girl with special abilities (Brown) and gets help from Dustin (Matarazzo) and Lucas (McLaughlin). Supernatural forces come into play as a mystery involving top-secret experiments unravels.

Brothers Matt and Ross Duffer, who previously worked on Wayward Pines, will serve as writers, directors, and co-showrunners of the series, as well as its executive producers. Karl Gajdusek will also share showrunning and executive producing duties, while Shawn Levy and Dan Cohen will executive produce through 21 Laps Entertainment. That seems like enough executive producers.

The series adds still more variety to Netflix’s growing body of original content, which spans genres from family-focused sitcoms to foreign language dramas to dark superhero series. The streamer-turned-studio clearly isn’t resting on its laurels. This August alone, Netflix has launched half a dozen originals, including a stand-up comedy special and series for adults and kids.

Stranger Things will debut in 2016.

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Stephanie Topacio Long

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Stephanie Topacio Long is a writer and editor whose writing interests range from business to books. She also contributes to…

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