On the heels of Paramount’s $8 billion merger with Skydance Media, Matt and Ross Duffer, the twin brothers behind the hit sci-fi horror series “Stranger Things,” have signed an exclusive four-year deal to deliver a wide range of projects for the entertainment giant.
As part of the new deal, the 41-year-old showrunners will create, write, direct, and produce a variety of feature films, television shows, and original streaming series for Paramount Pictures, Paramount Television, and Paramount Direct-to-Consumer.
“To be part of that mission is not just exciting—it’s the fulfillment of a lifelong dream,” the Duffer brothers shared in a joint statement. “And to do so at a studio with such a storied Hollywood legacy is a privilege we don’t take lightly.”
After being rejected by more than a dozen networks, Matt and Ross Duffer’s idea for “Stranger Things” finally landed at Netflix, with the first season premiering in 2016.
The show, set in the 1980s, centers on the residents of Hawkins, a fictional small town in Indiana, after a nearby human experimentation facility opens a gateway to an alternate dimension known as the Upside Down.
The series stars Winona Ryder, David Harbour, Millie Bobby Brown, Finn Wolfhard, Noah Schnapp, Sadie Sink, Natalia Dyer, and Caleb McLaughlin, among other actors.
Following the fourth season renewal in 2019, Netflix announced it had inked a multi-year deal with the brothers. The fifth and final season of “Stranger Things” is now slated to be released in three installments this fall.
In their statement, the Duffer brothers said their time at Netflix “has been incredible,” adding that the company had given them “the kind of creative freedom and support that artists dream of but so rarely receive.”
Once their deal with Netflix concludes, the Duffers will continue to be involved with ‘Stranger Things’ and their other existing development projects with the streaming service.
“We’re excited to continue collaborating—not only on the upcoming release of ‘Stranger Things 5’, but also on shows we’re deeply proud to be producing, including ‘Something Very Bad Is Going to Happen’ and ‘The Boroughs,'” the brothers said.
“And we look forward to building out the future of ‘Stranger Things’ together—there are many more stories to tell beyond Hawkins, and we can’t wait to share them.”