In an effort to expand its already extensive young adult collection, Netflix has greenlit a loose re-imagination of Alfred Hitchcock’s 1951 classic Strangers on a Train starring Riverdale‘s Camila Mendes and Maya Hawke of Stranger Things fame.
Netflix’s Strangers was created and is directed by Jennifer Kaytin Robinson, who is fresh off her directorial debut Someone Great, also for Netflix. The script for the film was written by Robinson and Celeste Ballard whose credits include the much-anticipated Space Jam sequel, Wrecked, Sweet/Vicious and more.
Jennifer Kaytin Robinson (Photo by AFF-USA)
Robinson is producing the pic with Anthony Bregman and Peter Cron for Likely Story under their overall deal with Netflix. Here’s everything else we know about Netflix’s Strangers:
What’s the plot of Strangers?
Netflix’s Strangers is described as a subverted Hitchock-ian dark comedy. Inspired by Alfred Hitchcock’s “Strangers on a Train,” the students at Rosewood Country Day School lead difficult lives. When two students decide to destroy another, the collateral damage doesn’t stop. The dark comedy will follow unlikely cohorts Drew (an alpha, “It” girl) and Eleanor (beta, alt girl) who agree to go after one another’s bullies.
Who is cast in Strangers?
It was confirmed by Deadline that Camila Mendes and Maya Hawke would be leading Netflix’s Strangers. Mendes is best known for her performance in Riverdale while Hawke rose to prominence in the third season Netflix’s Stranger Things. Other cast members include Rish Shah (Emmerdale, Ms. Marvel), Talia Ryder (Never Rarely Sometimes Always), Jonathan Daviss (Outer Banks) and Alisha Boe (13 Reasons Why, Teen Wolf).
In her interview with PureWow, Mendes shared her excitement for the project:
“I have one project that I’m super excited for called Strangers, which is being directed by Jennifer Kaytin Robinson, who’s become a very close friend of mine already. I’m really excited to get to work on that.”
Later, it was also reported that Game of Thrones star Sophie Turner would appear in the movie as well:
Sophie Turner Joins Jennifer Kaytin Robinson’s Netflix Feature ‘Strangers’ https://t.co/3ITchkT6uF
— Deadline Hollywood (@DEADLINE) June 24, 2021
What’s the production status of Strangers?
Netflix’s Strangers was set to enter production in Summer 2021 in Atlanta according to issue 1247 of Production Weekly. On June 9, Mendes posted on her Instagram that she began taking tennis lessons for her role in Strangers. Later, director Jennifer Kaytin Robinson shared a few images from filming signaling that production has finally started:
Likely Story is the production company behind the new adaptation. They’ve worked with Netflix on a number of projects previously including Things Heard & Seen and I’m Thinking of Ending Things.
What’s the release date for Strangers?
Considering its production schedule, we can expect Strangers to drop on Netflix sometime in the latter half of 2022.