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What would the perfect casting of Stranger Things look like according to Artificial Intelligence?
Vecna looks spectacular

- May 2, 2023
- Updated: July 2, 2025 at 2:20 AM

In the age of remakes and reboots, we are getting closer and closer to seeing our favorite series and movies reworked and rethought in a different way. It’s something we’ll soon see with Harry Potter, and we’ve already seen it with other blockbuster sagas like Twilight, The Hunger Games or even Breaking Bad.
But what would happen if a remake of Stranger Things was made? Under this premise, we have asked Artificial Intelligence to create the perfect casting of Netflix‘s most watched series. Of course, in this case it did quite a bit worse than in others like The Avengers or Game of Thrones, especially considering that the ages of the actors don’t quite fit the usual supply of Hollywood actors.
However, leaving aside the age, it is curious to see how some actors would fit perfectly in the role proposed to us. In particular, there are some, such as Joyce or Jim Hopper, that many would pay to see them in their alternatives. But how did we go about this process?
The first thing we did was to ask ChatGPT what would be the perfect casting we were talking about. In addition, the AI has justified quite clearly why it imagines each of the actors in their respective characters. We then let the AI continue with its imagination by taking each choice to the Stable Diffusion tool. And its images were… curious.

The ideal actors for a remake of Stranger Things according to ChatGPT
The first thing we have done is to ask ChatGPT which actors he imagines in the leading roles. We reproduce the conversation below. We have detailed what we want concretely so that the OpenAI tool does not get lost… and their proposals do not seem to follow the idea of the series very much, although some of them are very interesting.
Obviously, we have not been able to put all the cast, but we have been able to put most of the characters of great importance. The conversation has been the following:
Create the perfect casting for a remake of Stranger Things, without repeating the original actors. I need the perfect actors for: Joyce, Jim Hopper, Mike, Eleven, Dustin, Lucas, Nancy, Jonathan, Dr. Martin Brenner, Will, Max, Steve, Robin, Erica, Murray, Vecna, Bob, Barbara and Eddie.
Of course! Here I present to you my perfect casting for a Stranger Things remake:
- Joyce: Toni Collette is an actress who has great range and is known for playing complex and emotional roles, so she would be perfect to play the distraught mother searching for her lost son in the series.
- Jim Hopper: Jon Hamm is a very talented and versatile actor, and I think he could do a great job playing Hopper’s character, a tough but compassionate cop.
- Mike: Asa Butterfield is a young but talented actor who has proven his ability to play emotional and complex characters in films like “The Invention of Hugo” and “Ender’s Game,” so he would be perfect for the role of Mike.
- Eleven: Anya Taylor-Joy is a very talented actress who has proven her ability to play characters with a wide range of emotions and complexities. I think she would be perfect for the role of Eleven, as she can convey the combination of vulnerability and power that the character requires.
- Dustin: Jacob Tremblay is a very talented young actor who has proven his ability to play comedic and emotional characters in films such as “The Room” and “Extraordinary,” which makes him perfect for the role of Dustin.
- Lucas: Jaden Smith is a young but very talented actor who has proven his ability to play complex and emotional characters. I think he would be perfect for the role of Lucas, as he could convey the combination of bravery and vulnerability that the character requires.
- Nancy: Saoirse Ronan is a very talented and versatile actress, who has proven her ability to play complex and emotional characters in films such as “Lady Bird” and “Little Women”, which makes her perfect for the role of Nancy.
- Jonathan: Timothée Chalamet is a very talented and versatile actor who has proven his ability to play complex and emotional characters in films such as “Call Me By Your Name” and “Little Women,” which makes him perfect for the role of Jonathan.
- Dr. Martin Brenner: Michael Fassbender is a very talented actor who has proven his ability to play complex and emotional characters in films such as “Shame” and “12 Years a Slave,” making him perfect for the role of Dr. Martin Brenner.
- Will: Jaeden Martell is a young but very talented actor who has proven his ability to play complex and emotional characters in films such as “It” and “Daggers in the Back,” making him perfect for the role of Will.
- Max: Sophia Lillis is a very talented actress who has proven her ability to play strong and courageous characters in films such as “It” and “Nancy Drew and the Hidden Staircase,” making her perfect for the role of Max.
- Steve: Nicholas Hoult is a very talented and versatile actor, who has proven his ability to play complex and emotional characters.
- Robin: Zendaya is a very talented and versatile actress who has proven her ability to play complex and emotional characters in films and series such as “Spider-Man: Far From Home” and “Euphoria.” I think she would be perfect for the role of Robin, as she can convey the combination of bravery and vulnerability that the character requires.
- Erica: Marsai Martin is a very talented young actress, who has proven her ability to play funny and emotional characters on the “Black-ish” series. I think she would be perfect for the role of Erica, as she can convey the combination of wit and self-assurance that the character requires.
- Murray: Simon Pegg is a very talented and versatile actor, who has proven his ability to play comedic and emotional characters in films such as “Hot Fuzz” and “Truth Seekers.” I think he would be perfect for the role of Murray, as he can convey the combination of intelligence and eccentricity that the character requires.
- Vecna: Willem Dafoe is a very talented and versatile actor, who has proven his ability to play complex and sinister characters in films like “Spider-Man” and “The Lighthouse.” I think he would be perfect for the role of Vecna, as he can convey the combination of dangerousness and cunning that the character requires.
- Bob: John C. Reilly is a very talented and versatile actor, who has proven his ability to play comedic and emotional characters in films like “Guardians of the Galaxy” and “Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby.” I think he would be perfect for the role of Bob, as he can convey the combination of kindness and awkwardness that the character requires.
- Barbara: Florence Pugh is a very talented actress who has proven her ability to play strong, complex characters in films such as “Little Women” and “Black Widow,” making her perfect for the role of Barbara.
- Eddie: Alex Wolff is a young but very talented actor who has demonstrated his ability to play complex and emotional characters in films like “Hereditary” and “The Literary Society and Potato Peel Pie.” I think he would be perfect for the role of Eddie, as he can convey the combination of intelligence and vulnerability that the character requires.
I hope you like my selection!
Creating the perfect Stranger Things casting with AI
Below, we’ve run ChatGPT’s recommended cast through Stable Diffusion to see what these actors would look like in their respective roles. Warning: in some cases these are scarier images than Vecna.
Toni Collette como Joyce

Jon Hamm as Jim Hopper

Anya Taylor-Joy as Eleven

Jacob Tremblay as Dustin

Jaden Smith as Lucas

Saoirse Ronan as Nancy

Timothée Chalamet as Jonathan

Michael Fassbender as Dr. Martin Brenner

Jaeden Martell as Will

Sophia Lillis as Max

Nicholas Hoult as Steve

Zendaya as Robin

Marsai Martin as Erica

Simon Pegg as Murray

Willem Dafoe as Vecna

John C. Reilly as Bob

Florence Pugh as Barbara

Alex Wolff as Eddie

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Cultural journalist specialized in film, series, comics, video games, and everything your parents tried to keep you away from during your childhood. Also an aspiring film director, screenwriter, and professional troublemaker.
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