Picture Credit: Netflix
The Duffer Brothers have been out of the limelight for a while following the massive conclusion of Stranger Things, but speculation about exactly what the new live-action spin-off will be remains up in the air. We’ve had some hints before about what it will and won’t be, but last week, the pair revealed some more details backing up what they’ve said before and a few new hints.
During a recent live taping of the Happy Sad Confused podcast in Los Angeles, host Josh Horowitz sat down with the Duffer brothers to reflect on the show’s legacy—and, more importantly, to tease what comes next.
If you’ve been wondering about the status of the live-action spin-off, the second season of their animated series Stranger Things: Tales from ’85, or the potential for a direct sequel, we’ve got you covered.
Here is everything the Duffers had to say about the future of the Stranger Things universe.
The Live-Action Spin-Off: Quality Over Quantity
Ever since the Duffers launched their production company, Upside Down Pictures, fans have been eagerly awaiting details on the promised live-action Stranger Things spin-off. While the creators were careful not to anger the Netflix brass (joking about getting in trouble with co-CEO Ted Sarandos), they did drop a few massive hints about the show’s format. Some of this has been said before in various interviews, but they’re explicitly confirming things in this podcast that they haven’t said before.
First and foremost, the spin-off will not revolve around Eleven, Mike, Dustin, or any of the Hawkins crew we’ve followed for the past decade. “It’s very early… but it’s definitely, it’s totally new characters, totally different,” the brothers confirmed.
When Horowitz asked if the new series would follow a Black Mirror-style anthology format, the creators quickly shut the theory down. “It’s not an anthology show. It’s a set group of characters,” they confirmed.
Despite the pressure to capitalize on the massive success of the flagship series, the Duffers made it abundantly clear that they are refusing to fast-track the spin-off just to hit a release date. They are currently balancing early development on the spin-off with writing an original feature film for Paramount, allowing the Netflix project to bake until it is absolutely perfect.
“We’re being very careful. We don’t want to rush it. We don’t want it to be anything but excellent,” the Duffers explained. “No one wants to make it just to make it. No one wants to just do it to continue Stranger Things. Like, it has to be awesome or forget it. That’s sort of everybody’s mentality about it.”
When asked if they’d hired showrunners, they said “maybe” multiple times but ultimately said, “I think it’s gonna happen, but like I said, [we’re] trying not to rush it.”
Debunking the Next-Generation Sequel Rumors
With the final scene of the main series featuring Mike’s younger sister, Holly Wheeler, playing in a basement with a new generation of kids, many fans—and industry insiders—speculated that a direct “next generation” sequel was in the works.
However, the Duffers firmly shut down the idea that we will be getting a Stranger Things: The Next Generation sequel following Holly’s adventures.
“No, because that also wasn’t intended for that,” they clarified regarding the final scene. “That was really about sort of the passing the torch and him [Mike] remembering back to his childhood and saying goodbye to it. It’s obviously not setting anything up for a sequel.”
Furthermore, they pointed out that a direct sequel following Holly simply wouldn’t make sense narratively without undoing the original show. “If Holly starts to [see] this weird stuff, she’s gonna call her brother, and then it’s like we’re just making Stranger Things again,” they laughed.
Instead, the brothers reiterated that the live-action spin-off currently in development is the only idea they have ever entertained for expanding the universe. “We’ve had one idea for what we could do with Stranger Things, and we had it like seven years ago. So that’s what we’re trying to do now. [If] we had another good idea, we would do it.”
Photo by Maya Dehlin Spach/WireImage
Their New Movie Is Their Current Priority
While the Stranger Things spin-off remains a massive priority for Netflix, fans might have to wait a little longer for it to hit their screens, as the Duffer brothers are currently prioritizing a brand-new feature film for Paramount.
Revealing that they began writing the entirely original, non-IP genre movie in April, the creators admitted that the film is “mostly what we’re focused on right now.” While they are “bouncing between the two” projects, returning to their cinematic roots as part of their new overall deal is their #1 priority, it seems.
“We’re so used to having this massive canvas… being able to tell a story over eight to ten hours,” they noted. “It’s really fun to kind of reteach our brains how to tell a story in this much more contained period of time. It’s like a Swiss watch, right? The best films can’t have a single line that you don’t need.” Though the Paramount film is still in its earliest stages—the creators joked that the studio doesn’t even know what the pitch is yet—it is clear that the Duffers are laser-focused on conquering the big screen before fully diving back into the Upside Down.
Stranger Things continues at Netflix beyond this new spin-off, with season 2 of Stranger Things: Tales from ’85 later this year and a planned 10th-anniversary celebration this summer, though what that entails remains unknown.
Are you excited about a spin-off following a completely new set of characters, or will you miss the original Hawkins crew? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below!
