The world of Hawkins is coming back to the screens once again with Netflix's new animated spin-off of globally-popular Stranger Things titled Stranger Things: Tales From ’85 which premieres on April 23. Before its much-awaited release, the makers have shared first posters of its key characters Eleven, Mike, Will, Dustin, Lucas and Max. Along with them, a newcomer has entered the cast.
Odessa A’zion, known for Marty Supreme and I Love LA has joined the team, voicing the role of Nikki Baxter, a "pink-haired 14-year-old transfer student who's 'super punk rock'". Nikki hasn’t had any real friends until the D&D crew came along. "They had everything, and she was the missing puzzle piece. You need a little muscle in that crew," A'zion explained in a statement.
Speaking about her character, showrunner Eric Robles says, "Nikki is the audience's eyes. She comes into this world completely new. She’s got her own issues that she’s been dealing with, and it's these kids who step into her world in a sense. She’s got to figure things out with the kids because there’s no way that she could just walk away (from what she's seen) and pretend like it never happened."
Stranger Things creators, the Duffer Brothers are serving as the executive producers for the series which is set in the same universe as the original series.
Stranger Things: Tales From ’85 stars Brooklyn Davey Norstedt as Eleven, Luca Diaz as Mike, Benjamin Plessala as Will, Elisha “EJ” Williams as Lucas, Braxton Quinney as Dustin, and Jolie Hoang-Rappaport as Max.
According to the plotline, "In the winter of 1985, snow blankets the town and the horrors of the Upside Down are finally fading. Our heroes Eleven, Mike, Will, Dustin, Lucas and Max have settled back into a normal life of D&D, snowball fights and quiet days. But beneath the ice, something terrifying has awakened. Could it be from the Upside Down? From the depths of Hawkins Lab? Or from somewhere else entirely? Our heroes must race to solve this mystery and save Hawkins in this untold story set in the Stranger Things universe." It is set between the original series' second and third seasons where Millie Bobby Brown's character Eleven closes the Hawkins Lab gate.
Other executive producers are Hilary Leavitt via Upside Down Pictures, Shawn Levy via 21 Laps, and Dan Cohen. The original series wrapped up on New Year's eve this year after five long seasons which spanned over a decade. Later, a documentary on the making of the final season titled One Last Adventure: The Making of Stranger Things 5 was released in the same month.
