In February 2022, the Stranger Things writing team reflected on the future of the show in an open letter to fans. “Seven years ago, we planned out the complete story arc for Stranger Things,” they posted via the show’s official social media platforms. “At the time, we predicted the story would last four to five seasons. It proved too large to tell in four but — as you’ll see for yourselves — we are now hurtling toward our finale. Season 4 will be the penultimate season; season 5 will be the last.” The executive producers confirmed that there were plans to further explore the universe of Stranger Things. “There are still many more exciting stories to tell within the world of Stranger Things: new mysteries, new adventures, new unexpected heroes,” the message concluded. “But first, we hope that you stay with us as we finish this tale of a powerful girl named Eleven and her brave friends, of a broken police chief and a ferocious mom, of a small town called Hawkins and an alternate dimension known only as the Upside Down.” On July 6, Netflix announced that the Duffer Brothers have formed Upside Down Pictures, a new production company through which they will develop movie and television projects as part of their overall deal with Netflix." Named after the alternate dimension in Stranger Things, the production company confirmed it’s working on a Stranger Things spin-off and “A new stage play set within the world and mythology of Stranger Things.” Here’s everything we know so far about the upcoming Stranger Things spin-off, including what the Duffer brothers shared, how involved they will be, release date prediction, and the latest updates:
What will the Stranger Things spin-off be about?
During an interview with Variety, the Duffer brothers talked about their plans for the future of Stranger Things. “We do have an idea for a spinoff that we’re super excited about, but we haven’t told anyone the idea yet, much less written it. We think everyone — including Netflix — will be surprised when they hear the concept, because it’s very, very different," they said in May 2022. “But somehow Finn Wolfhard — who is one crazy smart kid — correctly guessed what it was going to be about. But aside from Finn [who plays Mike Wheeler], no one else knows!”
Will the spin-off be connected to the original Stranger Things series?
Speaking to the Happy Sad Confused podcast (via Variety), the Duffer brothers revealed the Stranger Things spin-off will be completely different from the main series:
Will the Duffer brothers return to direct the Stranger Things spin-off?
Speaking to the Happy Sad Confused podcast in July 2022, Matt Duffer said, “So we have an idea but the idea is to ultimately pass the baton to someone else who is hopefully talented and passionate. Even the idea of Ross and I doing a pilot and then leaving it, it just feels silly to me. You need to be there from the beginning to the end. We need to find a partner to help us with that”. Although the original creators don’t intend to helm the spinoff, it’s likely that Duffer brothers will still be involved: “I don’t want to do another decade in the Stranger Things universe. [But] we do want to be very involved.” In July 2022, the Duffer brothers announced the launch of their new production company called Upside Down Pictures. The studio will produce different series for Netflix, and they already announced a few projects they’ll be working on, including a live-action Death Note TV series and of course, the untitled Stranger Things spin-off.
When is the Stranger Things spin-off coming to Netflix?
During an interview with Variety, the writing duo confirmed that they would “probably” start working on the spin–off after the fifth and final season of Stranger Things. “There’s a version of it developing in parallel [to season 5], but they would never shoot it parallel,” Ross said. “I think actually we’re going to start delving into that soon as we’re winding down and finishing these visual effects, Matt and I are going to start getting into it.” Matt clarified their approach to the untitled project: “The reason we haven’t done anything is just because you don’t want to be doing it for the wrong reasons, and it was just like, ‘Is this something I would want to make regardless of it being related to Stranger Things or not?’ And definitely,” he said. “Even if we took the Stranger Things title off of it, I’m so, so excited about it. But it is not — It’s going to be different than what anyone is expecting, including Netflix.” Since there are no production updates for Stranger Things Season 5 yet, it’s likely that fans will have to wait years before the spin-off arrives on Netflix. We will update this page once Netlfix announces an official release date for the Stranger Things spin-off. The Stranger Things spin-off is not coming to Netflix in September 2022, according to the list of movies and TV shows coming to the streaming service this month.
Would the Stranger Things cast make cameos in the spin-off?
The Duffer brothers haven’t confirmed if any of the Stranger Things cast members will return or make a cameo in the spin-off, but in May 2022, Finn Wolfhard, who plays Mike Wheeler in the show, revealed that he wasn’t ruling out an appearance in the project. “I think if it was in 10 years or something like that, and there was a movie or a limited series, I think that’d be kind of cool,” he told Digital Spy. His costar Charlie Heaton, who plays Jonathan Byers, added, “It’d be kind of weird to have a spinoff [now], you know?”
