Stranger Things has come to an end. Will has come out, Vecna has been beheaded, and the gang has finished their decade-long D&D campaign. The show made a hefty $25 million in movie theaters for its special New Year’s Eve screenings, and fans are already losing their minds over the idea that some aspects of the conclusion were left ambiguous. But there’s no rest for the wicked, and there are plenty of even stranger things to explore in the ever-expanding Stranger Things universe. Netflix is making sure the world’s supply never depletes. In addition to an animated spin-off, a stage show, a book series, an in-person “experience,” and video games, the Duffer brothers have been working “on and off” on a live-action spin-off. Per a Variety interview with Ross and Matt Duffer, the spin-off will have “no common characters,” meaning we’ll never find out what came of Eleven (until Netflix finds the magic number). So if it’s not going to be about El and Mike Wheeler, what’s it going to be about? Barb? Actually, it’s going to be about the Mind Flayer rock and briefcase business, according to Matt Duffer.
“The spin-off is going to delve into that and explain that, and you’re going to understand it,” Duffer says. “But it’s a completely different mythology. So it’s not a deep exploration of the Mind Flayer or anything like that. It’s very fresh and very new, but yes, it will answer some of the loose threads that are remaining.”
Ross Duffer says that “after a little break,” they’ll return to the office on Monday to resume work on it. That doesn’t seem like enough time to get the creative juices flowing on a series that’s already reached maximum saturation, but that’s how the brothers like it. “My favorite part of the show is working on it. It’s not releasing it — that’s just stressful, no matter how it goes when you release it. It’s maybe my least favorite part of the process,” Matt Duffer continues. “I like the creative part. I like making it. So, we’re actually really excited, and it’s very exciting to work with a clean slate: completely new characters, new town, new world, new mythology.”
Thanks to Netflix and the Duffers’ persistence, our algorithms will never lack a Stranger Thing.
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