WORLDWIDE SEARCH DISCOVERS YOUNG ENSEMBLE CAST TO STAR IN NEW ORIGINAL NETFLIX SERIES "STRANGER THINGS"

Finn Wolfhard, Millie Brown, Gaten Matarazzo, Caleb McLaughlin, Noah Schnapp, Natalia Dyer and Charlie Heaton Join Drama Series Written and Directed by the Duffer Brothers

Beverly Hills, Calif., August 20, 2015 -- After a worldwide search with thousands of applicants, Netflix, the world's leading internet TV network, has added several young actors to Stranger Things, the new drama series written and directed by Matt Duffer and Ross Duffer (Wayward Pines, Hidden). Eight one-hour long episodes of the series will premiere exclusively across all Netflix territories in 2016.

In the series, a young boy vanishes into thin air. As friends, family, and local police search for answers, they are drawn into an extraordinary mystery involving top secret experiments, terrifying supernatural forces, and one very strange little girl. The series, set in Indiana, is a love letter to the '80s classics that captivated a generation. 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 co-stars 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.

In the series, Millie Brown portrays a mysterious character that Mike meets in the woods, who possesses strange abilities. Brown appeared in the BBC's Intruders and caught the attention of Stephen King, who described her appearance as 'terrific' on twitter. She also appeared as Alice in Once Upon A Time and on NCIS.

Gaten Matarazzo joins the cast as Dustin, a 12-year-old who marches to the beat of his own drum and whose sense of humor helps defuse tense situations in the series. Matarazzo 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. He also recently appeared on The Blacklist, and has done the Radio City Christmas Spectacular.

Caleb McLaughlin stars as Lucas, an opinionated friend of Mike's, who possesses a fierceness and courage the other boys lack. McLaughlin recently wrapped The Painted Rocks at Revolver Creek by Athol Fugard at the Signature Theater where he received incredible reviews and praise. From 2012-2014 he played "Young Simba" in The Lion King on Broadway, and in 2013 he was one of a handful of young Broadway stars to do an album called When I Grow Up: Broadway's Next Generation, based on a one-night only concert cabaret event.

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, and the upcoming film, We Only Know So Much, as Jeanne Tripplehorn's son.

Natalia Dyer portrays Nancy in the series, Mike's teenage, older sister. Dyer had a breakthrough lead role in the coming-of-age drama I Believe in Unicorns, that premiered at the 2014 South by Southwest (SXSW) Film Festival. She recently completed filming the sci-fi drama After Darkness, directed by Batan Silva, and starring Kyra Sedgwick and Tim Daly as her parents. Her other credits include Roadside Attractions' Blue Like Jazz, which premiered at the 2012 SXSW Film Festival; the supernatural thriller The Between, alongside Joel Courtney and Isabelle Fuhrman from producer Susan Johnson; as well as Disney's Hannah Montana: The Movie. Dyer also recently landed a supporting role opposite Shiloh Fernandez in the Chadd Harbold indie Long Nights, Short Mornings.

Charlie Heaton portrays Jonathan, Will's older teenage brother. Charlie can next be seen starring in Europacorp's new dramatic thriller, Shut In for Farren Blackburn, opposite Academy Award winner Naomi Watts. The film is currently set to be released in February 2016. He is currently in pre-production on the independent feature As A Friend, opposite Amanda Stenberg, from producer Brent Stiefel. Charlie recently wrapped production starring opposite Richard Armitage and Anna Friel in Urban and the Shed Crew.

The Duffer Brothers are writing, directing and co-showrunning the series, and will serve as executive producers along with co-showrunner Karl Gajdusek (Oblivion, Last Resort) and Shawn Levy and Dan Cohen via their 21 Laps entertainment banner (The Spectacular Now, Night At The Museum, Real Steel, Date Night). Stranger Things is a Netflix production.

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