Oh, Stranger Things, you made us all fall in love with you, become invested in your story and characters, and then, like Game of Thrones before you, you ended like an absolute damp squib.
But, the Stranger Things universe may not be done yet…
At the show’s height, there was talk of spinoffs and movies and all sorts, and although we got the West End play, The First Shadow (more on that soon) and Tales from ’85, the animated series, it feels like maybe there’s still more to come. After all, The First Shadow and Tales From ’85 both expand the world of the immediate characters from the main series… aren’t there other stories in that world? Other tales? Other characters? Well, we may yet find out.
Speaking on the Happy Sad Confused podcast with Josh Horowitz, creators Matt and Ross Duffer hinted that a new spinoff is in development already, and showrunners might already be in the mix: “We can’t say anything. We can’t say anything. Honestly, I don’t think we can say anything. God, there’s so much I wish I could say.
Gina Carano ‘has had talks’ with Filoni and Favreau… Cara Dune returning to Star Wars?
“I think we’re just trying to be very careful. We don’t want to rush it. We don’t want it to be anything but excellent.
“I think it’s going to happen, but we just, you know, we’re just like I said, trying not to rush it. We’re trying. No one wants to make it just to make it. No one wants to just do it to continue Stranger Things. Like it has to be awesome or forget it. That’s sort of everybody’s mentality about it.”
Getting to my earlier point about the show being about new characters, they confirmed that yes, “it’s totally new characters, totally different.”
WATCH: Netflix just announced Stranger Things: Tales from ’85 season 2
They also confirmed that, despite the main show ending with Holly Wheeler (Nell Fisher) playing Dungeons & Dragons, picking up the mantle from Mike, Eleven, and the others, that story is finished: “That was really about sort of the passing the torch and him [Mike] remembering back to his childhood and saying goodbye to it. It’s obviously not setting anything up for a sequel.”
So, the main story is done, but what about the origin story that is told in Stranger Things: The First Shadow, the stage show?
Well, you might recall that I reported back in February that the show was being filmed, presumably to release it on Netflix at some stage as a standalone (movie) adventure, tying into the series. Well, it seems that the live show is coming to an end.
Stranger Things: The First Shadow stage show being filmed for streaming on Netflix
The live show will end at the Phoenix Theatre in London’s West End on December 27th, 2026, and at the Marquis Theatre on Broadway on January 3rd, 2027, so, presumably, the broadcast version will be appearing this Christmas or shortly after. The show ran in London for three years and one year on Broadway.
In a statement, the Duffers said: “When the legendary Stephen Daldry first came to us with the idea of making a ‘Stranger Things’ play, we were stunned — both by the fact that Stephen wanted to do this, and that he believed it could work. And boy, did it work.”
First look at new supernatural series produced by Stranger Things’ Duffer brothers
In related news, the Duffers are developing an ‘event film’ at Paramount, which is set for release just before Christmas 2o28, on November 3rd. This movie marks the beginning of their four-year exclusive film, TV, and streaming deal at Paramount, which we learned about in 2025.
While nothing is known about the movie at this stage, it will be the brothers’ big screen debut… let’s hope it lands better than the last season of Stranger Things, right?
Thoughts? I know you have them, and I wanna hear ’em all.
WATCH: Teaser trailer arrives for The Boroughs from the Duffer brothers
Sources: Screenrant, Deadline & Variety
Marc
Marc is a self-confessed nerd. Ever since seeing Star Wars for the first time around 1979 he’s been an unapologetic fan of the Wars and still believes, with Clone Wars and now Underworld, we are yet to see the best Star Wars. He’s a dad of two who now doesn’t have the time (or money) to collect the amount of toys, comics, movies and books he once did, much to the relief of his long-suffering wife. In the real world he’s a graphic designer. He started Following the Nerd because he was tired of searching a million sites every day for all the best news that he loves and decided to create one place where you can go to get the whole lot. Secretly he longs to be sitting in the cockpit of his YT-1300 Corellian Transport ship with his co-pilot Chewie, roaming the universe, waiting for his next big adventure, but feels just at home watching cartoons with his kids….
Nerd Comments