Exclusive: Stranger Things Spinoff In Development
We've exclusively learned the most exciting news for Stranger Things fans: a spinoff series is on the way.
Update: This Giant Freakin Robot exclusive was confirmed with Netflix and The Duffer Brothers announcing there would be a Stranger Things spinoff series, in animated form. There is some chance this is Stranger Things: Tokyo, but that has not been confirmed.
These days, Netflix has really hit its stride with original content. While they have some new success stories, like The Witcher and Bridgerton, one of their biggest remains Stranger Things, the unexpected gem centered on a small town in 1980s Indiana, some kids that like to play Dungeons & Dragons, and a very powerful young girl with a number for a name. The series is one that definitely has an endpoint, partially forced by the aging young actors in the story. However, the growing streaming service doesn’t want to let that kind of success go. Giant Freakin Robot has now learned from one of our trusted and proven inside sources that Netflix is already developing a Stranger Things spinoff series. Not only that, we learned that the streaming service will be making an announcement about the new show soon.
For Stranger Things fans, news of a spinoff series comes at an interesting time. Stranger Things season 4 has been postponed due to the pandemic, like many productions. As the young actors have aged on screen from one season to the next, audiences are keenly aware that there is a timeline on this show. A spinoff project is a perfect way to better explore this world, allow Netflix to take advantage of the hit they have on their hands, and still give the series a fitting end. Our source was unable to share if the show’s original creators, The Duffer Brothers, are the ones making the project, but we know that they have already signed an overall deal with Netflix, so it seems a safe bet that they are involved, which should create a better story for the Stranger Things spinoff.
So that raises the biggest question of all: what will the Stranger Things spinoff be about? We know that the original show’s creators have plans for the end of that series. They originally planned for it to end with season four, but have since said that the fourth season will lead into the ultimate ending they want to see happen on the main series. It’s possible that since Netflix is announcing the Stranger Things spinoff soon, and we haven’t seen the fourth season yet, that a lot of what happens in the fourth season will help set up the spinoff series. So what do we know about season four? From the little Netflix has released, we’ve seen that they’ve been teasing an origin story for Millie Bobby Brown’s Eleven.
Eleven is the obvious choice for a Stranger Things spinoff. She’s a popular character who has remained a popular choice for Halloween costumes. In season three of Stranger Things, we saw Eleven venture off some on her own. This gave us some groundwork to better establish what a spinoff series following Millie Bobby Brown could be about, as she goes out into the world and finds other people like her. If the spinoff series follows her character, Stranger Things could eventually be seen as Eleven’s origin story, almost a prequel for what the new spinoff series would become.
Of course, there are plenty of other favorite characters as contenders. Nancy is a young journalist. In season three, she went off on her own adventures and got into her own kinds of trouble. Could events from season four turn her into the main character for a Stranger Things spinoff?
While Steve Harrington may not be an obvious choice for the main character, he has often been a highlight of episodes that were otherwise not the best. A Steve Harrington Stranger Things spinoff would be absolutely hilarious, and while probably not realistic, it would be great if he turned out to be involved. Steve started off as kind of a jerk, but he soon became a favorite character for many. While it’s possible that the spinoff will follow all-new characters, there are probably many people who are hoping it will tell the story of one of the kids as they move into adulthood.
The timing of this Stranger Things spinoff will likely tell us a lot about what the story will entail. Since season four isn’t the ending for the original series, season five likely will be. It will be interesting to see if the spinoff starts before we get that fifth season or if they’ll wait until the main series is done.
Soon enough, Netflix is going to be making a public announcement about their Stranger Things spinoff plans. Since they’re already working on this one, we won’t have long to wait to hopefully find out who from the original cast will be involved and some hints at where the story is going.
