The Upside Down isn’t closing its gates just yet. While fans are counting down the days until the fifth and final season of Stranger Things premieres, creators Matt and Ross Duffer are already working on a mysterious spinoff — and they’ve been dropping hints about what’s to come. Though the project has been confirmed since 2024, the brothers have kept the details tightly under wraps. Here’s everything they’ve shared so far, including what it will (and won’t) connect to, when we might see it, and what the “Strangerverse” could look like.
Is It Connected to Any ‘Stranger Things’ Characters?
In short — no. Don’t expect the spinoff to follow Eleven, Dustin, or the rest of the Hawkins gang. According to Matt and Ross, the new series will be something entirely separate.
As they explained in interviews for Variety’s October 15 cover story, they’re wrapping up every major storyline in Season 5.
“We do every last remaining thing we wanted to do with the Demogorgons and Mind Flayer and Vecna and the Upside Down and Hawkins and these characters,” Matt Duffer said. “This is a complete story. It’s done.”
The brothers emphasized that the spinoff isn’t trying to mimic a sprawling sci-fi franchise.
“It’s so different than something like Star Wars,” Matt explained. “It doesn’t really work like that.”
Instead, the show will share the same “brand” and “style of storytelling” — think kids, adventure, and sci-fi/fantasy elements — without creating an overly complicated mythology.
Ross elaborated: “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.’”
Matt added, “You’re just too boxed in. It starts to get frustrating from a storytelling perspective.”
When Will the Spinoff Come Out?
While no official release date has been announced, Netflix’s chief creative officer Bela Bajaria is ready when the Duffers are.
“I’d always love more Stranger Things,” Bajaria said with a laugh. “When they’re ready, we’ll be ready.”
The creators have reportedly been developing the concept for years, and Netflix is being patient — for now.
“The hope is you’re not just doing something to just do it,” Matt said. “And Netflix has been surprisingly patient, although I think now, I feel that patience wearing thin a little bit with the show coming to an end. But they’re understanding.”
Bajaria admitted even she doesn’t fully know what the new series will be about:
“They’ve been thinking about this for a long time,” she said. “So I’m excited about what it’s going to be, but I don’t know what that is yet!”
