After years of waiting, and a great number of fan theories, the fifth and final season of Netflix's sci-fi series Stranger Things is here. The show will wrap up pretty conclusively in what promises to be an emotional and bittersweet finale, but it'll still leave enough scope for a live-action spinoff.
The Duffer Brothers are not finished with the Upside Down. The franchise has already had numerous pieces of tie-in media, from numerous comic books, to a few novels, to a full on Broadway production in the form of Stranger Things: The First Shadow, which leads nicely into the show's fifth season.
In terms of on-screen spinoff content, the first will air in 2026. Titled Stranger Things: Tales From '85, the animated series comes from showrunner Eric Robles and Stranger Things co-creators Matt and Ross Duffer. Set between seasons 2 and 3 of the main show, it chronicles unseen adventures from our main Hawkins cast. Most of the main characters return — including Eleven, Mike, Max, Lucas, Dustin, Will, and Hopper — although they are voiced by different actors.
There's yet to be a live-action Stranger Things spinoff, but fear not; there is indeed one in development. It is, however, in the very early stages of being made. Details are about as scarce as you'd imagine. Even so, little tidbits are starting to spill. During a recent interview with The Hollywood Reporter, Matt and Ross Duffer hinted that the live-action spinoff will be completely different to the main show.
"We’re very early days on a live-action spinoff. But this is the end of the story for these characters of Hawkins, for the Upside Down. It’s a different decade and different characters, but of course, still connected to theStranger Things universe," Ross Duffer said. "It’s an idea we’ve had for years and something we’re just really excited and passionate about. We won’t be showrunning that show, but we’ll be heavily involved. So, as the new year comes around, we’re going to start spending more time on that. Hopefully it’s something announced soon-ish."
If one thing is for certain, the Stranger Things spinoff series is a lot further along in development than any sort of movie. "We’re definitely further along with that idea than a movie idea!" Ross Duffer said. The Duffers have signed a 4-year deal with Paramount to create movies and TV shows, beginning in April 2026, but it sounds like the Stranger Things spinoff will likely come first. Projects within their new deal are expected to stretch a lot further than just Stranger Things. That's if they even want to make a Stranger Things movie...
The series finale of Stranger Things premieres Wednesday, December 31 at 8:00 p.m. EST on Netflix.