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Matt and Ross Duffer, creators and showrunners of Netflix’s Stranger Things, have inked a major new multi-year deal with the platform for multiple projects, including a new season of Stranger Things. The partnership reportedly netted the brothers a nine-figure contract, thanks to Stranger Things’ purported status as the most popular original series on Netflix.
Netflix announced Monday that the Duffer brothers will continue to helm the platform’s hit original series, which has become known for its nostalgic ‘80s aesthetic and movie references, its strong ensemble cast, and its supernatural thrills. But they’ll also begin developing “other film and series projects our members will love,” according to Netflix’s Chief Content Officer Ted Sarandos. The partnership also signals Netflix’s commitment to keeping its edge in the much-vaunted upcoming streaming wars with other platforms.
The Duffer brothers’ creative background is in horror; their breakout film was the 2015 apocalyptic horror film Hidden, after which they worked as writers for the M. Night Shyamalan Fox series Wayward Pines. So it’s likely, especially given the success of Stranger Things, that their new projects will continue the trend.
Then again, as the brief announcement trailer for the fourth season of Stranger Things notes, “We’re not in Hawkins anymore.”
Fans of the show might not be surprised by this end-teaser reveal — the series’ most recent season ended by transporting us to a secret prison camp in Siberia, of all places. The show’s social media accounts also teased the apparent mystery of the tag line:
the curiosity door is wiiiiiide open
— Stranger Things (@Stranger_Things) September 30, 2019
But it might also be a sign that the Duffer brothers are planning to surprise us by shifting away from our Stranger Things comfort zones and taking us somewhere new — if not for season four, perhaps for their many new projects.
