NEW YORK >> Something wicked this way comes: Louis McCartney who starred in the play “Stranger Things: The First Shadow” in London will reprise his creepy monster on Broadway.

“It’s such a privilege to be able to tell this story in another part of the world,” McCartney tells The Associated Press. “I’m ecstatic to be able to fly across the pond and be able to do that all over again, but better, in New York.”

Set in Indiana 20 years before the events of the Netflix show’s first season, the play focuses on the life of McCartney’s Henry Creel as a shy, awkward teen. Fans of the TV show will know the teen becomes the villainous monster Vecna in the fourth season.

“If you haven’t watched ‘Stranger Things,’ then this is a great opportunity for you to have an introduction because it’s a prequel,” he says. “It is it’s own standalone story and it’s got everything in it that will make you love ‘Stranger Things’ again.”

The Belfast-born, London-based McCartney got the role after an open casting call and earned raves portraying a teen with psychic and psychokinetic abilities. He says the Broadway version will be even better, accommodating a larger theater.

“It’s a new playground,” he says. “Imagine what we’ve done now but times 10. If the illusions go up, then the story has to go up. I think there’s more story to tell. And I think we can go deeper.”

“ Stranger Things: The First Shadow “ will begin performances on March 28, 2025, ahead of an official opening of April 22, 2025. The original story is by the Duffer Brothers, Jack Thorne and Kate Trefry and is directed by Stephen Daldry and co-directed by Justin Martin.

McCartney was a diehard “Stranger Things” fan but had no plans to be a stage actor. He trained in screen work and credits Daldry and Martin with seeing his potential.

He says “Stranger Things: The First Shadow” is world-bending and mesmerizing with demogorgons and special effects, but it is grounded in heartfelt tragedy, especially his doomed Henry, a “Hamlet”-like figure.