Netflix Announces Young Cast of Duffer Brothers Series ‘Stranger Things’

Pre-teen stars includes Noah Schnapp, who also appears in Steven Spielberg’s “Bridge of Spies”

Netflix announced the cast of “Stranger Things,” the new drama series written and directed by Matt and Ross Duffer, on Thursday.

In the series, a young boy vanishes into thin air. As friends, family and local police search for answers, they are drawn into a mystery involving top secret experiments, supernatural forces and one very strange little girl.

It was previously announced that Winona Ryder and David Harbour would also both star in the series. Ryder will portray Joyce, a working class single mother reeling from the disappearance of her 12-year-old son, and Harbour will play the town’s chief of police.

– Finn Wolfhard will co-star in the series as Mike, a bullied 12-year-old who becomes an unlikely hero in the quest to save his best friend. Wolfhard guest starred in “The 100,” and the independent films “Aftermath” and “The Resurrection.”

– Millie Brown will portray a mysterious character that Mike meets in the woods. She appeared on BBC’s “Intruders” She also appeared as Alice on “Once Upon A Time.”

– Gaten Matarazzo will play Dustin. He recently finished a one-year stint as one of the two Gavroches in the current revival of “Les Miserables,” and also appeared on Broadway with “Priscilla Queen of the Desert.”

– Caleb McLaughlin will play Lucas, an opinionated friend of Mike’s. From 2012-2014 he played Young Simba in “The Lion King” on Broadway.

– Noah Schnapp portrays Will in the series, a small and sensitive boy who doesn’t fit into the 1980’s definition of normal, who vanishes into thin air. Schnapp will be appearing in Steven Spielberg’s “Bridge of Spies,” opposite Tom Hanks and Amy Ryan, and as the voice of Charlie Brown in the upcoming “The Peanuts Movie.”

– Natalia Dyer will play Nancy, Mike’s older sister. Dyer had a breakthrough lead role in the coming-of-age drama “I Believe in Unicorns,” which premiered at the 2014 South by Southwest (SXSW) Film Festival.

– Charlie Heaton portrays Jonathan, Will’s teenage brother. Charlie can next be seen starring in Europacorp’s new thriller, “Shut In for Farren Blackburn,” opposite Academy Award winner Naomi Watts. The film is currently set to be released in February 2016.

The Duffer Brothers are writing, directing and co-showrunning the series, and will serve as executive producers along with co-showrunner Karl Gajdusek and Shawn Levy and Dan Cohen via their 21 Laps entertainment banner.

“Stranger Things” will premiere exclusively across all Netflix territories in 2016.

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