Netflix has teamed up with Sonia Friedman Productions to produce the stage play Stranger Things: The First Shadow, which is “rooted in the mythology” of the hit streaming series Stranger Things and opened at the Phoenix Theatre in London’s West End back in December. The show has been breaking box office records and recently won several awards, so its run has been extended into 2025… and now Deadline has broken the news that the show will also be coming to Broadway next year! Stranger Things: The First Shadow is set to begin previews at the Marquis Theatre on Friday, March 28, 2025 and officially open on Tuesday, April 22, 2025.

A while back, Deadline heard that Stranger Things: The First Shadow “will be the first instalment in a trilogy exploring the dark underbelly of Hawkins, Indiana. Breaking Baz can reveal parts two and three are set to follow the inaugural play in two or three year intervals, according to insiders associated with the production. The stage sequels will launch in London first. Meanwhile, there are already plans for Stranger Things: The First Shadow to transfer to Broadway.” 

Written by Stranger Things writer and co-executive producer Kate Trefry from an original story she crafted with the Duffer Brothers and Jack Thorne, Stranger Things: The First Shadow has the following synopsis: 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. Brought to life by a multi-award-winning creative team, who take theatrical storytelling and stagecraft to a whole new dimension, 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.

The London edition of the show had this cast: Shane Attwooll (Chief Hopper), Kemi Awoderu (Sue Anderson), Chase Brown (Lonnie Byers), Christopher Buckley (Bob Newby), Ammar Duffus (Charles Sinclair), Gilles Geary (Ted Wheeler), Florence Guy (Karen Childress), Max Harwood (Allen Munson), Michael Jibson (Victor Creel), Oscar Lloyd (James Hopper, Jr.), Louis McCartney (Henry Creel), Isabella Pappas (Joyce Maldonado), Matthew Pidgeon (Father Newby), Calum Ross (Walter Henderson), Maisie Norma Seaton (Claudia Henderson), Patrick Vaill (Dr. Brenner), Lauren Ward (Virginia Creel), and Ella Karuna Williams (Patty Newby). Taking on unspecified roles are 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. Casting for the Broadway version is currently underway.

Stranger Things creators the Duffer Brothers are creative producers on the play, and the show’s producers at 21 Laps get an associate producer credit. The play is being directed by Stephen Daldry, with Justin Martin co-directing.

Are you glad to hear that Stranger Things: The First Shadow is coming to Broadway? Share your thoughts on this one by leaving a comment below.

The post Stranger Things: The First Shadow stage play is coming to Broadway next year  appeared first on JoBlo.

With the release of the new Dawntrail expansion for Square Enix’s MMO Final Fantasy XIV, the hunt is on. By that I meant literally hunts, a series of side activities that task players with tracking down and defeating progressively more difficult enemies. The rarest and most difficult hunts are S-Rank and require…

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With the release of the new Dawntrail expansion for Square Enix’s MMO Final Fantasy XIV, the hunt is on. By that I meant literally hunts, a series of side activities that task players with tracking down and defeating progressively more difficult enemies. The rarest and most difficult hunts are S-Rank and require…

Read more…

Although Hammer Films was founded by comedian and businessman William Hinds in 1934 and the company produced films in a variety of genres, they’re best known for the horror films they produced from 1955 through the ’70s. The company ceased production as of 1979, and remained dormant until it was revived in 2007. Several productions have come along in the years since then, and John Gore, a 20-time Tony, Emmy and Olivier-winning entertainment producer who is known for his live theater company the John Gore Organization, stepped up to acquire the company in 2023. So the future of Hammer Films is looking promising – and with the company celebrating its 90th anniversary this year, Deadline reports that they’re teaming up with Sky and Deep Fusion Films to make Hammer: Heroes, Legends and Monsters, a 90-minute documentary that will premiere in November.

Hammer: Heroes, Legends and Monsters will track Hammer’s progression from a back off in London’s Regent Street to its iconic status within the horror film genre, revisiting the people in front of and behind the camera who made the operation a byword for horror, and will include numerous key contributors, unseen archive footage and interviews with the likes of Tim Burton, John Carpenter and Joe Dante, whose styles were all influenced by Hammer.

Deep Fusion co-founder Benjamin Field is directing the documentary, which is filming in three separate locations and on sets that are inspired by those seen in Hammer classics like Dracula. Deadline notes that “Field is known for his unusual storytelling and dynamic visual styles, so it’s fair to assume we’ll see Hammer Horror tropes presented in a different way.”

Gore, who is executive producing, provided the following statement: “As a lifelong fan of Hammer Films, I am incredibly proud to celebrate our 90th anniversary with this remarkable, insightful and celebratory documentary. Heroes, Legends and Monsters pays tribute to the people behind Hammer – in front of, and behind the camera – and sets the stage for an exciting future. Hammer has always been at the forefront of horror, and with the dedication of a talented team and the support of Sky, we are poised to continue thrilling audiences with Hammer magic for the next decade and beyond. Here’s to the next 90 years of Hammer and its heroes, legends and monsters.“

Sky’s Phil Edgar-Jones said, “At Sky Arts we’re all about bringing legends to the screen, and we couldn’t be happier to be sharing the thrills and chills of Hammer’s trailblazing work in gothic horror with our audiences. Prepare for demons, vampires, mummies, and perhaps the odd abominable snowman too.“

Field added that Hammer: Heroes, Legends and Monsters aims to honor and celebrate Hammer’s legacy and “provide an insightful, entertaining experience for both long-time fans of horror, as well as new converts to the genre. And we couldn’t hope for better partners on this journey into the bloody heart of horror than Sky and Hammer Films.“

Are you a fan of Hammer and are you looking forward to the Hammer: Heroes, Legends and Monsters documentary? Let us know by leaving a comment below.

The post Hammer: Heroes, Legends and Monsters documentary celebrates the studio’s 90th anniversary appeared first on JoBlo.

Since 1992, Anime Expo has been bringing the cosplay heat to the Los Angeles Convention Center, and this year was no exception. Once again the vicinity to Hollywood brings out some of the most impressive costumes on the convention circuit, from sexy One Piece fits to wildly massive constructions.

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Since 1992, Anime Expo has been bringing the cosplay heat to the Los Angeles Convention Center, and this year was no exception. Once again the vicinity to Hollywood brings out some of the most impressive costumes on the convention circuit, from sexy One Piece fits to wildly massive constructions.

Read more…

Star WarsOutlaws,Massive Entertainment’s open-world Star Wars game, is coming to PC, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series X/S this August. The game doesn’t follow Jedi or deal with The Force, but instead will give us a look into the seedier side of life in the Star Wars universe. It follows the exploits of Kay Vess, a…

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Despite a slew of rumors to the contrary, it looks like Anyone But You co-stars Glen Powell and Sydney Sweeney will NOT be re-teaming on Edgar Wright’s upcoming adaptation of The Running Man. This rumour had been picking up steam recently, with many outlets claiming an official announcement of the two re-teaming was imminent. Collider debunked the rumor with them noting unnamed sources as saying she had never been involved. While I suppose they could be wrong, I tend to take Collider’s word on this one, as it seemed unlikely the two would re-team so shortly after Anyone But You, despite them having said to be looking for future projects to collaborate on.

If anything, I can understand why this rumour started. The Running Man remake is set to be directed by Edgar Wright, who also has a Barbarella remake in the works with Sweeney. The Running Man is based on the dystopian Stephen King novel, which he wrote under the pseudonym Richard Bachman. It was previously filmed as the Arnold Schwarzenegger action classic of the same name in 1987, although the movie was a very loose adaptation. 

Wright has always said that while he liked the Schwarzenegger film, he preferred the book, telling the Happy Sad Confused podcast, “I like the film but I like the book more, and they didn’t really adapt the book. Even as a teenager when I saw the Schwarzenegger film I was like, ‘Oh, this isn’t like the book at all!’ And I think, ‘Nobody’s [done] that book.’ So when that came up, I was thinking, and Simon Kinberg says, ‘Do you have any interest in The Running Man?’ I said, ‘You know what? I’ve often thought that that book is something crying out to be adapted.’ Now, that doesn’t mean that it’s easy! [Laughs] But it’s something that we are working on, yes.”

The Running Man is just one of several projects Glen Powell is attached to, with Jenna Ortega recently signing on to co-star with him in a new film from J.J. Abrams. 

The post The Running Man: Sydney Sweeney will not be co-starring with Glen Powell despite rumors appeared first on JoBlo.

The upcoming Borderlands movie might not have happened if it wasn’t for the spin-off narrative game Tales from the Borderlands, which gave Gearbox confidence that the universe could be more than just a looter shooter playground.

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The upcoming Borderlands movie might not have happened if it wasn’t for the spin-off narrative game Tales from the Borderlands, which gave Gearbox confidence that the universe could be more than just a looter shooter playground.

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