Just a few months before the Duffer Brothers are set to turn the world upside down with the release of the highly anticipated fifth and final season of Stranger Things on Netflix, the creators' rumored new business deal looks primed to also turn the entertainment industry upside down.
According to reports, Matt and Ross Duffer have entered "advanced negotiations" with Paramount for a new overall deal that would move them away from Netflix for the first time in nearly a decade. Under the new overall deal with Paramount, the Duffer Brothers would create film and television projects exclusively for the company with a reported "emphasis on tentpole movies."
Since the premiere of Stranger Things on Netflix in 2016, the Duffers have been solely focused on the pop culture juggernaut and haven't had the opportunity to create or contribute to any theatrical film releases, which is one of the limitations of working exclusively for Netflix. Beyond even just that reason, the partnership between Paramount and the Duffer Brothers would be massive for both parties.
Duffer Brothers' Paramount overall deal won't impact Stranger Things spinoffs
Paramount's merger with David Ellison's Skydance has been grabbing a considerable amount of media attention thanks to its political implications that have bled into the late night space. But grabbing the Duffer Brothers from Netflix as the first new creative deal would be a real coup. They are arguably the biggest creators under the Netflix umbrella, and everyone will be watching whatever they make next now that Stranger Things is coming to an end.
The potential deal won't have an impact on the forthcoming projects the Duffer Brothers have coming down the pipeline on Netflix next year. Their new adventure series The Boroughs, horror series Something Very Bad Is Going To Happen, and animated series Stranger Things: Tales of '85 are set to be released on Netflix in 2026, and per Deadline, any live-action Stranger Things spinoffs would be "carved out" of their Paramount deal. Translation: Hawkins will be able to live on.
Considering that the Duffers have those three new series coming to Netflix in 2026 and have been putting some considerable attention into extending the life of Stranger Things with a spinoff (which Finn Wolfhard has teased and compared to Twin Peaks), the news of the duo jumping ship from Netflix to Paramount likely comes as a shock to the industry as much as it does to fans. You would expect the pair to continue to partner with the company that essentially made them household names.
But it's honestly a smart business move to branch out and tackle aspects of filmmaking they haven't been able to before. We don't know what a Duffer Brothers theatrical blockbuster would look like. Whether its an original horror or sci-fi movie or an reboot of one of Paramount's many legacy titles, the possibilities are endless for the Duffers to take over another streaming service and quite possibly the big screen. Before we get too excited though, the pair still has to conquer the Upside Down.
Stranger Things season 5 premieres on Nov. 26, Dec. 25, and Dec. 31 on Netflix.