It's an exciting time to be a fan of Stranger Things. Even though the hit Netflix original series has been off the air for what feels like a million years (but is actually only a little over three years), the franchise has continued with a stage show and an upcoming animated series spinoff ahead of the fifth and final series. There's some interesting news about the spinoff's depictions of iconic characters.
Netflix recently previewed the forthcoming animated spinoff Stranger Things: Tales from '85 and revealed new details about what to expect. The animated series has been described as a show following the characters we know and love battling new supernatural monsters in Hawkins and solving paranormal mysteries. It sounds similar to the show we have adored since day one.
But there could be some changes in store for Stranger Things: Tales from '85 that diehard fans of the series might not have anticipated. While the animated offshoot has been confirmed to follow the adventures of Eleven, Mike, Will, Lucas, Dustin, and Max, they could very well sound different than we're used to when the new spinoff lands on our watch lists.
Stranger Things: Tales from '85 could recast core cast
Although Netflix hasn't released official casting details for Stranger Things: Tales from '85, a social media post from the account Hawkins Happenings states that the actors who play the kids in the live-action series won't return to voice their characters in the animated spinoff. Obviously, that's simply a rumor right now and things could change, but it's expected that the cast will be different.
Millie Bobby Brown, Finn Wolfhard, Noah Schnapp, Caleb McLaughlin, Gaten Matarazzo, and Sadie Sink not returning for the animated series makes sense, from both logistical and financial standpoints. But it's still weird to think of someone else playing these characters, even if its in an animated series.
Honestly, it doesn't matter if they're playing children. Adult voice actors play children in animated shows all the time. Jason Ritter played a child in Gravity Falls. Seth MacFarlane plays one of the most famous TV babies of all time in Family Guy. Age isn't really an issue.
Stranger Things: Tales from '85 will take place in the winter of 1985, placing the series between seasons 2 and 3 in the timeline of the show. That means the six core younger characters of the show will once again be much younger than they are in season 5. Again, age doesn't really matter when it comes to voice acting, but Netflix could be going in a different direction with the spinoff.
The spinoff also introduces the new character Nikki Baxter, who isn't someone we have met before in the live-action series. Seeing as the animated show will feature a new character and feature new actors voicing the main characters, some have been wondering if Tales from '85 will be considered canon in the greater scheme of things.
There are a lot of questions still to be answered about the series that will come clearer into view when it drops on Netflix sometime in 2026. Until then, Stranger Things season 5 releases on Nov. 26, Dec. 25, and Dec. 31 on Netflix.