LOS ANGELES, July 6 (R) – Netflix Inc (NFLX.O) announced on Wednesday that it is developing a spin-off of the sci-fi series Stranger Things while the streaming service works to deliver its biggest English-language hit to a wide audience to make entertainment franchise.
The new series will be based on an original idea by Matt and Ross Duffer, the twins who created “Stranger Things,” Netflix said in a statement. No details about the story or the characters were given.
Netflix also announced a stage play set in the world of Stranger Things.
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The supernatural thriller starring Winona Ryder and David Harbor has set viewing records for Netflix, surpassing Regency-era drama Bridgerton as the company’s most-watched English-language series.
“Stranger Things” resonated through the cultural zeitgeist when it debuted in 2016 and launched then-12-year-old Millie Bobby Brown into a global star. Last season propelled Kate Bush’s song “Running Up That Hill” to the top of the iTunes and Spotify charts, 37 years after it was originally released.
Season four wrapped up last week with the final two episodes briefly crashing the Netflix app as fans rushed to watch. The series has amassed 1.15 billion hours of watch time on Netflix, behind only South Korean drama Squid Game.
Show creators Matt and Ross Duffer pose with cast members Natalia Dyer, Charlie Heaton, Sadie Sink, Maya Hawke, Noah Schnapp, Priah Ferguson and Brett Gelman at a special event for the television series “Stranger Things” at Raleigh Studios Hollywood in Los Angeles , California, U.S. May 27, 2022. R/Mario Anzuoni
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“One of the reasons ‘Stranger Things’ really broke out like this is because there’s a universality at its core,” said Matthew Thunell, the Netflix vice president who first read the script and championed the series. “It’s really about the strength of friendship, how friendship triumphs over evil.”
The series is the first that Netflix has sought to evolve into a traditional entertainment franchise, with characters and stories that permeate film, television, games and consumer products. Its popularity surprised Netflix – “Frankly, we could never have predicted what would become of ‘Stranger Things,'” Thunell said.
As the show’s audience expanded beyond so-called genre nerds or sci-fi fans to include adults intrigued by the references to 1980s pop culture, Netflix began to consider expanding the story through spin-offs and merchandise could be expanded.
That led to a number of Stranger Things connections, including a Surfer Boy pineapple and jalapeno frozen pizza at Walmart and a Magic 8-Ball toy from Hasbro. Fans could also take part in simulated sleep studies at a Hawkins National Laboratory attraction in New York, San Francisco and London.
“We’re starting from scratch, and that gives us a lot of freedom to innovate and try new things,” said Josh Simon, Netflix’s vice president of consumer products.
The new series is part of a production deal with the Duffers, who will also develop a live-action television adaptation of the Japanese manga and anime series Death Note, among other projects.
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Reporting by Dawn Chmielewski; Additional reporting by Lisa Richwine; Edited by Richard Chang
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