Everything We Know About the New Live-Action ‘Stranger Things’ Spinoff

A new live-action spinoff of Stranger Things is in development, but fans still know almost nothing about it. Series creators Matt and Ross Duffer have been planning the show for years, but they’ve only given vague hints so far.

In 2022, the Duffers told Variety that almost no one knows the concept. “We think everyone – including Netflix – will be surprised when they hear the concept, because it’s very, very different,” they said.

Interestingly, actor Finn Wolfhard correctly guessed the idea on his own. “But aside from Finn, no one else knows!” the Duffers added. Wolfhard later said on The Tonight Show in 2023 that he figured it out by thinking of a cool way to expand the Stranger Things world.

The spinoff will not focus on any characters from the original series or the Upside Down. Ross Duffer told Screen Rant that the new show will “relate in some ways” to the original, but it will have a completely different story, new actors, and a different location. The story will also take place in another decade, not the 1980s. “[Stranger Things] is the end of the story for these characters of Hawkins, for the Upside Down,” Ross said.

Matt Duffer told Variety that the spinoff will stay true to the style and tone of Stranger Things without trying to make the story too complicated. Ross added, “There’s going to be connective tissue, but you’re almost anthologizing in a way.”

Wolfhard previously suggested the show could be an anthology, similar to Twin Peaks, set in different locations connected through the Upside Down. The Duffers later clarified to Deadline that this wasn’t exactly their idea and that Wolfhard may not remember his original guess.

Ross Duffer also hinted that the final episode of Stranger Things includes a small scene that gives a clue about the spinoff. “We’ll see if people pick up on it,” he said.

No premiere date has been announced. Netflix’s chief creative officer, Bela Bajaria, said in October that she had not yet received details about the project. But Matt Duffer told Deadline in November, “We’re trying to get it to go pretty quickly. So hopefully it’s gonna happen soon.”

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