After a few years away, Stranger Things is back in the public consciousness again. And that has everyone wondering what the Duffer Bros. have planned, not just for the show’s fifth and final season, but beyond. We know that a spinoff of the show is in the works, but Netflix has now revealed that a lot more that has nothing to do with the Hawkins kids is also coming up.
The Duffer Brothers have launched Upside Down Pictures, which will be run by Hillary Leavitt (Orphan Black) to create film and TV projects as part of their overall deal with Netflix. And there’s a lot on the slate, including the Stranger Things live-action spinoff series and a newly-announced stage play directed by Stephen Daldry (The Reader), who will also serve as producer.
Details on both are slim at this point, but in regards to the live-action series, the Duffers said on a recent podcast that it’ll be “1000% different from Stranger Things” and will have a totally different showrunner. It will NOT follow any of the current show’s main characters, either, so if you were hoping for a Lucas/Max spinoff like I was, you’re out of luck.
Also in the works is a TV series adaptation of Stephen King and Peter Straub’s novel, The Talisman. A feature film version has been in the works for years by Steven Spielberg’s Amblin Entertainment, but they will now co-develop the series with the Duffers.
There’s also a live-action series based on the popular Death Note manga and anime. Netflix previously adapted it into a terrible movie by Adam Wingard, but this new version will have no connection to that.
Finally, a new original series from Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance creators Jeffrey Addiss and Will Matthews is in the works. No idea if this will also employ puppetry, or if it will have any connection to that beloved miniseries.