The Duffer Brothers are already teasing what comes next for Stranger Things, confirming that a spinoff is in development and that the finale, which dropped Wednesday, includes a subtle hint about where the franchise is headed.
In a new interview, Ross Duffer shut down some popular fan theories while offering a clearer idea of what the spinoff will — and won’t — be.
It’s also known the duo won’t be involved, as they recently signed a huge deal with Paramount that kicks off in April.
The Stranger Things Spinoff Is Not What Fans Expect
Speaking to Deadline, Ross Duffer made it clear that the spinoff won’t focus on familiar characters or obvious extensions of the main series.
He specifically ruled out a Hopper-led Montauk project, saying the reference in the finale was simply a nod to longtime fans who know the show’s original concept was titled Montauk.
He also dismissed the idea of a spinoff centered on Holly Wheeler or the younger kids.
Instead, Ross said the idea is “something much smaller” and far more contained than fans might assume.
“I know. We were just talking about this. I don’t know if I want to, but I will say, though, it’s not Hopper mentioning Montauk. There’s no Montauk spinoff. That was more of a wink to the fans, deep-cut fans that know that the show started as Montauk.
It’s obviously not Holly and the kids or anything like that. It’s something much smaller than that.”
A New Story With a New Mythology
According to the Duffers, the Stranger Things spinoff will introduce an entirely new mythology, even though it remains connected to the main series.
Ross explained that the project is still in early development, but the goal is to tell a standalone story that exists within the Stranger Things universe rather than extend the original narrative directly.
The spinoff will also answer lingering questions left unresolved in the finale — questions the brothers intentionally chose not to fully explain in the final season.
“We’ve said this before, the spinoff idea we have, it is early days, but it is an entirely new mythology. So, it is connected, and it is going to answer some questions that people have, and there’s some lingering questions that weren’t answered in the finale that will be answered in the spinoff. But at the end of the day, it’s got its own story and its own mythology.”
