Duffer Brothers Tease Secret Stranger Things Project, Promise A Universe Nothing Like Game of Thrones Or Star Wars
The next chapter hits now: crucial decisions due this week, mounting pressure on key players, and fresh revelations poised to tilt the story in a new direction.
Stranger Things may have crossed the finish line after five seasons, but Netflix is not rolling the credits on this universe. The Duffers have multiple follow-ups in motion, and yes, one of them leans on a surprisingly nerdy little detail you probably forgot from season 5.
What is actually next
- Live-action spinoff: This is the main focus right now. New show, new cast of characters, and a fresh mythology rather than squeezing more out of the original timeline.
- Animated series: Stranger Things: Tales From '85 is on the way, filling in a few remaining corners of the story.
- Stage play: Stranger Things: The First Shadow is still running, continuing to explore the earlier-era lore on stage.
- Secret project: There is one more thing brewing that they refuse to talk about yet. Classic 'we have something cool but PR will kill us if we say it' energy.
How the Duffers are thinking about the universe
Matt Duffer told EW they are taking it one step at a time. Translation: the live-action spinoff gets the oxygen first, and they are not trying to build a sprawling, forever-expanding web of side stories like certain other mega-franchises. The idea is to stop patching tiny holes in the existing narrative and instead jump into a new sandbox with a new rulebook.
'The goal is to break it wide open and do something very new and very different.'
Ross Duffer says projects like Tales From '85 and the play essentially mine the last little gaps left in the five-season story. To actually move forward, they want to create a new mythology rather than keep forcing smaller and smaller add-ons. Matt called the process of inventing new characters and lore 'exhilarating,' then joked he can’t say more because Netflix PR is listening.
The deep-cut clue that might matter a lot
Here is the surprising part: the spinoff will tie into a specific Vecna beat from season 5. The Duffers told Variety that the rock he stashed in a briefcase after finding it in the caves as a kid is going to be a very big deal for the new series. If you need a refresher on why that rock matters, that thread becomes clearer by the season 5 finale.
Bottom line: expect the next live-action show to stand on its own with a fresh cast and a new mythology, while still hooking into a key piece of Vecna history. Meanwhile, the animated Tales From '85 and The First Shadow stage play keep the original era warm without overworking it.
The complete Stranger Things series is streaming on Netflix now.