‘Stranger Things’ Spin-Off Reveals Chilling New Secrets About Hawkins in First Trailer
“Stranger Things” may have wrapped up its five-season run just four months ago, but fans don’t have to stay away from Hawkins for long. Netflix has released the first trailer for Stranger Things: Tales from ’85, an animated spinoff that takes viewers back to the town and its familiar heroes.
The new series is set between Season 2 and Season 3 of the original show. The Hawkins kids are living normal lives after closing the Upside Down, but trouble returns when monsters frozen underground begin to thaw. Fans can expect another adventure as the kids try to save their town from the emerging threats, even if some beloved characters like Robin, played by Maya Hawke, won’t appear.
The new trailer for ‘STRANGER THINGS: TALES FROM '85’ has been released.
— DiscussingFilm (@DiscussingFilm) March 26, 2026
The animated series follows the Hawkins group on an adventure set between Seasons 2 and 3 of the main show.
Releasing April 23 on Netflix. pic.twitter.com/i9oyGGRLWm
None of the original actors are returning to voice their characters. Instead, the series features a fresh voice cast including Brooklyn Davey Norstedt as Eleven, Jolie Hoang-Rappaport as Max, Luca Diaz as Mike, Elisha “EJ” Williams as Lucas, Braxton Quinney as Dustin, Ben Plessala as Will, Brett Gipson as Hopper, Jeremy Jordan as Steve, Alysia Reiner as Karen Wheeler, and Alessandra Antonelli as Nancy Wheeler.
New characters will be voiced by Odessa A’zion, Janeane Garofalo, Lou Diamond Phillips, Jack Griffo, and horror legend Robert Englund, who appeared in Season 4 of the original series, according to Netflix.
The show is animated by Flying Bark, an Australian studio known for Moon Girl and Devil Dinosaur, What If…?, and Rise of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. Eric Robles serves as showrunner and executive producer. The original Stranger Things creators Matt and Ross Duffer are also executive producers through their Upside Down Pictures banner, along with Hilary Leavitt, Shawn Levy for 21 Laps, and Dan Cohen.
Netflix says this is just the start of a larger Stranger Things universe. A live-action spinoff is in the works as well, though it will feature a completely new cast and story unrelated to the original characters.
All ten 30-minute episodes of Stranger Things: Tales from ’85 will be available to stream on Netflix starting April 23.
It’s exciting to see Hawkins return in a new format, even if it’s animated and not the original cast. It gives fans a chance to revisit the town and characters we love while exploring stories that weren’t shown in the main series. What do you think about an animated Stranger Things? Share your thoughts in the comments.