Duffer Brothers tease ‘Stranger Things’ spin-off with new characters and surprise location

"It really is a completely different story," said co-creator Matt Duffer about the spinoff
PUBLISHED JAN 10, 2026
A still from 'Stranger Things' season 5 (Cover Image Source: Instagram | @strangerthingstv)
A still from 'Stranger Things' season 5 (Cover Image Source: Instagram | @strangerthingstv)

'Stranger Things' Season 5 may have come to an end, but the series was just the beginning. What has been documented is that there will be an animated spinoff with 'Stranger Things: Tales from ’85', and the live-action series will take a different turn from the original show. Earlier, creators Matt and Ross Duffer weighed in about the upcoming spin-off.

"We tried as much as possible to answer all the questions as it relates to the characters and mythology of Hawkins in the Upside Down," Matt told ScreenRant. "We’re really closing the door and all that. And the spinoff, it relates in some ways, but it really is a completely different story and a completely different location with completely different actors and characters. So it’s its own. It’s really its own entity." Their comments come on the back of Finn Wolfhard, who believed the spinoff would have a 'Twin Peaks' feel to it.

"We won’t be showrunning that show, but we’ll be heavily involved," Ross added. "So, as the new year comes around, we’re going to start spending more time on that. Hopefully it’s something announced soon-ish."

In related news, they also spoke of the two-hour finale's ending. "We feel really happy with how the show ended up. I think in the finale, in particular, the last scene, which again, we’ve had an idea of what that scene was going to be like for years, and when we sat down to break season five, it’s the first thing we broke," Ross said.

"Everything is really building to that moment and making sure that it works. Because we knew that no matter what we did, we could do eight hours of entertainment that people love, and then if you slip in the last five minutes, it’s all anyone’s going to talk about! So you just want to make sure you get those five minutes right, and then hopefully everything falls into place. We’re so proud of that scene and the performances from our cast in that scene, so we’re feeling good about it. But it’s always nerve-racking to put it out there for the audience."

In another interview with Variety, "The spinoff is going to delve into that and explain that, and you’re going to understand it," Matt said. "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."

At the time of writing, there is no word on when the spinoff will release or on the plotline of the show. There is no working title for the show either.

All seasons of 'Stranger Things' are streaming on Netflix.

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