One actor is heading from Grey Sloan to the Upside Down, as Grey's Anatomy star T.R. Knight has landed a major role in a new Stranger Things production.
Per Variety, Knight has joined the cast of Stranger Things: The First Shadow, a stage play opening in 2025 that's based on the Netflix series. Knight will play Victor Creel, the father of Henry Creel (aka Vecna). The play is a prequel to the series, set decades before the events of Stranger Things Season 1. The synopsis reads, "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.”
Knight may be best known for his role as Dr. George O'Malley on the hit medical drama Grey's Anatomy. For his work in the role, Knight was nominated for a Primetime Emmy Award. He more recently starred in the hit show The Flight Attendant following his roles in other TV series like The Good Wife, The Catch, When We Rise, and The Bravest Knight. Knight also had a role in the Stephen King adaptation 11.22.63.
The Cast of Stranger Things: The First Shadow
It was previously announced that the Henry Creel character would be played by Louis McCartney. Other known cast members for the stage show include Rosie Benton (Patriots) as Virginia Creel, Alex Breaux (Stranger Things) as Dr. Brenner, Andrew Hovelson (The Good Wife) as Principal Newby, Ailson Jaye (Shameless) as Joyce Maldonado, Gabrielle Nevaeh (Gremlins: Secrets of the Mogwai) as Patty Newby, Burke Swanson (Back to the Future: The Musical) as James Hopper Jr., and newcomer Nicky Eldridge as Bob Newby.
Stranger Things: The First Shadow was written by Kate Trefry, who has worked as a writer and executive producer on the Netflix show. The story comes from Stranger Things creators Matt Duffer and Ross Duffer alongside Trefry and Harry Potter and the Cursed Child playwright Jack Thorne. Stephen Daldry (Billy Elliot) with Justin Martin (Prima Facie) co-directing.
The stage show previously opened on London's West End last year. It's next set to run at the Marquis Theatre with an opening scheduled for April 22, 2025, following preview performances beginning on March 28.
Stranger Things Is Preparing to End
The news comes ahead of the original Netflix series preparing to end its run. It was previously announced that the upcoming fifth season will be the last for Stranger Things, but that doesn't mean that the franchise is going away. In addition to the stage show, it's expected that there will be spinoffs set in the Stranger Things world with a focus on other characters.
The final season of Stranger Things is expected to debut on Netflix in 2025.
Source: Variety
