New Stranger Things series: Rising star on board
Odessa A'zion is not only making headlines with Stranger Things: Tales from '85
The new series "Stranger Things: Tales from '85" is already in the starting blocks. With the release of the first trailer, it was also announced that the spin-off of the horror hit will appear on Netflix from April 23, 2026. As DiscussingFilm now reports, there is also a new addition to the "Stranger Things" animated series: rising Hollywood star Odessa A'zion. The actress is currently making a name for herself with the nine-time Oscar-nominated film "Marty Supreme" and the HBO comedy series "I Love LA" and is set to take on a speaking role in the original English-language version of "Stranger Things: Tales from '85".
It is not yet known which character will be voiced by A'zion. This also applies to Janeane Garofalo and Lou Diamond Phillips, who are also on board as voice actors. However, the voice roles of most of the actors have already been confirmed - although Millie Bobby Brown and all the other stars from the original series are not included. Instead, the ensemble of "Stranger Things: Tales from '85" consists of the following voice actors: Brooklyn Davey Norstedt as Eleven, Brett Gipson as Jim Hopper, Luca Diaz as Mike Wheeler, Braxton Quinney as Dustin Henderson, Ben Plessala as Will Byers, Elisha Williams as Lucas Sinclair, Jolie Hoang-Rappaport as Max Mayfield and Jeremy Jordan as Steve Harrington.
Stranger Things: New threat in Hawkins
As the title suggests, the animated series is set in the winter of 1985, specifically between the end of the second and the beginning of the third season of the original series, which ran for a total of five seasons. Once again, the focus is on the protagonists known from "Stranger Things". In their snowy hometown of Hawkins, Eleven, Mike, Will, Dustin, Lucas and Max once again have to deal with a monstrous threat. However, it is unclear whether the danger has its origins in the shadow world this time too. Together, the friends try to solve the mystery.
Stranger Things: Tales from '85" was developed by Eric Robles. In contrast to the original series, the Duffer Brothers Matt and Ross are no longer on board as showrunners, but are also executive producers here. It is not yet known how many episodes "Stranger Things: Tales from '85" will comprise. It is also unclear whether there will be just one season and whether the plot will also be set in 1985 in the event of a sequel.
Odessa A'zion makes headlines with Deep Cuts
Odessa A'zion is a newcomer who is currently attracting attention with more than just "Marty Supreme" and "I Love LA". One role in particular is making headlines, which she initially accepted and then quickly turned down. She was supposed to play Zoe Gutierrez, a character with a Mexican background, in Sean Durkin's romance film "Deep Cuts". However, this was followed by massive criticism that A'zion, an actress who is not Mexican, was to get the role. As a result, she turned down the engagement. According to A'zion, she had originally auditioned for a different role in the film. When she was offered the part of Zoe Gutierrez instead, she immediately accepted the offer without considering all aspects of the character.
Following her withdrawal, over 100 Latino artists signed an open letter to point out that the matter was symptomatic of a fundamental problem in Hollywood. In the letter published by Deadline, stars such as Eva Longoria and Jessica Alba denounce the fact that Latino actors are given too little consideration - and accordingly call for better representation in the film industry.