A 'Stranger Things' spin-off is officially happening — here's what we know so far
'Stranger Things' may be ending soon, but the famous franchise is cooking something new for fans. According to a report by Marie Claire Australia, a 'Stranger Things' spin-off is in the works. As per the media outlet, 'Stranger Things' creators Matt Duffer and Ross Duffer said that the spin-off will not be a reheated version of the hit Netflix show. While appearing on an episode of Josh Horowitz's 'Happy Sad Confused' podcast, the Duffer Brothers were asked to address the rumours surrounding the character-based offshoots. In his response, Ross said, "I've read rumours that there's going to be an Eleven spin-off, a Steve and Dustin spin-off, or another number from the lab. That's not interesting to me because we've done all that."
The 'Stranger Things' co-creator added, "We've spent I don't know how many hours exploring all of that. So it's very different. The most important connective tissue, I would say, is the storytelling sensibility of it. There is story that connects to the Stranger Things world, but it really is more about how we're telling that story." Later in the episode, the Duffer brothers mentioned that the spin-off will be "1000% different" from the OG series.
Furthermore, the Duffer brothers also insisted that the upcoming spin-off will only have a 'connective tissue' with the original 'Stranger Things' series. During an October 2025 interview with Variety, the Duffer brothers candidly spoke about the forthcoming spin-off. At the time, Matt shared, "It's so different than something like 'Star Wars.' It doesn't really work like that." As per the creators, the spin-off will be part of the show's "brand" and "style of storytelling" —"kids, adventures, sci-fi/fantasy, rather than increasingly expand what could become an insanely convoluted mythology."
Shedding more light on the spin-off idea, Ross went on to say, "They're going to live in a bit of a different world. There's going to be connective tissue, but you're almost anthologizing in a way. Because we're not 'Star Wars'. We can't be like, 'Oh, now we're on this planet.'" Continuing the conversation, Matt quipped, "You're just too boxed in. It starts to get frustrating from a storytelling perspective." Speaking of the spin-off, Matt further added, "It's more about starting fresh with new characters. There's something refreshing about that. You're not tied into a massive web of lore." Meanwhile, the second volume of 'Stranger Things' Season 5 drops on December 25.
