Netflix is Turning Its 'Stranger Things' Broadway Hit Into a Streaming Special

Netflix is turning its hit Broadway prequel, Stranger Things: The First Shadow, into its next streaming special, with filming underway this week to capture the original cast.

• Going dark for the camera: To accommodate the shoot, performances at the Marquis Theatre are canceled from February 10-14. The timing is designed to capture the original cast—fronted by Tony nominee Louis McCartney—before their final performance on March 29.

• A box office monster: The canonical prequel, which details the origin of villain Henry Creel, has been a critical and commercial smash since opening last spring. The play has become one of Broadway's top earners, recently pulling in $1.4 million in a single week, and won a Special Tony Award for its mind-bending effects.

The move is a textbook case of corporate synergy, turning a theatrical hit Netflix already co-owns into exclusive streaming content. The strategy more savvily integrates the company's stage investments with its core streaming business and builds a new content pipeline from a proven hit. The live show is already preparing for its next chapter with a new principal cast set to take over in March.