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The series finale of Stranger Things arrives on Netflix (and in some movie theaters) on New Year’s Eve, promising an epic conclusion to the story that began in 2016 with the abduction of Will Byers in Hawkins, Indiana. But while the feature-length episode will be an emotional farewell to all the beloved characters and actors, it won’t be the end of the record-breaking franchise.
Next year, Netflix will release the animated spinoff Stranger Things: Tales From ‘85, and Stranger Things creators Ross and Matt Duffer tell Polygon that they “be heavily involved” with a live-action spin-off in early development. The Duffers also helped writer Kate Trefy and director Stephen Daldry create the play Stranger Things: The First Shadow, which premiered in London in 2023 before opening on Broadway in April.
“When we find others that are super passionate about a story that they want to tell in this world, that’s exciting because they’re always going to bring something different than we would if we were telling a version of that story,” Ross Duffer says. “We’re hopeful the spinoff and whatever comes next will have that same level of passion and excitement going into it.”
Daldry first approached Netflix with the idea of making a Stranger Things play after season 2 of the show, but the Duffers didn’t start working with him on it until they were making season 4. They suggested making the show about Henry Creel because they had more details on his backstory and how it connects to Stranger Things’ complex mythology than they could fit in the season. Stranger Things actor Jamie Campbell Bower watched Louis McCartney play his character in The First Shadow twice as part of his preparation for season 5, and he even stepped into the role on stage in the final scene of a Dec. 19 performance.
“There were definitely things that I had considered going into playing Henry for season four, things surrounding his relationship with his mother and father and the isolation, the loneliness of that character, him sort of feeling like there’s something wrong with him, which we continue to further explore,” Bower tells Polygon. “There are definitely plot points within The First Shadow that I wanted to be aware of moving into season 5.”
The play is key to understanding what Henry (aka, Vecna) is doing in season 5 because both were being developed simultaneously. But that meant the Duffers had to keep altering the show’s script to avoid spoilers.
“It was a real tightrope in the sense that the play needed to work as a standalone and season 5 needed to be a standalone,” Matt Duffer says. “Maybe we can add a lot of ideas back into the play once we’re no longer concerned about spoiling season 5.”
The first seven episodes of Stranger Things season 5 are available to stream on Netflix now, with the finale airing on New Year’s Eve.
