While the fifth and final season of ‘Stranger Things’ is on the horizon, series creators the Duffer Brothers are just getting started. The duo have launched a production company, aptly titled Upside Down Pictures, for future film and TV projects with Netflix. The company will be run by former BBC executive Hillary Leavitt, who developed series like Orphan Black, Ozark, The Great and Shining Girls. According to the company mandate, they “aim to create the kind of stories that inspired the Duffers growing up – stories that take place at that beautiful crossroads where the ordinary meets the extraordinary, where big spectacle co-exists with intimate character work, where heart wins out over cynicism.”
There’s the previously announced Stranger Things spinoff series, which will have entirely new characters and storylines, but will presumably connect to the Upside Down. The Duffers have stayed mum on the spinoff details, only noting that “It’s going to be different than what anyone is expecting, including Netflix.”
In addition, the Duffer Brothers have announced a slate that features some of our favorite authors and properties. The first is a new live-action television adaptation of the fan-favorite Japanese manga and anime series Death Note. The series, written by Tsugumi Ohba and illustrated by Takeshi Obata, has already been adapted into novels, video games, a Japanese live-action drama series and film franchise, a musical, and Netflix’s own ill-fated feature film adaptation in 2017.
The Duffers also announced a series adaptation of Stephen King and Peter Straub‘s 1984 novel The Talisman, which will be created by Curtis Gwinn (The Walking Dead). The book was recently seen in the season 4 finale of Stranger Things, where Lucas reads passages of the book to Max.
Other projects in the works include an original series from Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance creators Jeffrey Addiss and Will Matthews, as well as a new stage play set within the world and mythology of Stranger Things, which will be directed by Stephen Daldry (The Crown, Billy Elliot, The Reader).
After the massive success of juggernaut series Stranger Things, it’s hardly a surprise that Netflix has essentially written a blank check for the company. Stranger Things 4 is now #1 on Netflix’s (all time) Most Popular English TV list with a shocking 1.15Bn hours viewed in its first 28 days, making it the second series to cross the billion hour viewing mark. The fourth season also hit #1 on the Top 10 lists in 91 countries, a first for an English TV series.
(featured image: Netflix)
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