STRANGER THINGS Creators Say Spinoff Will Go All-In on a New Mythology
Stranger Things might have wrapped up its main story, but Netflix isn’t closing the door on the franchise just yet. The Duffer Bros. are deep into early development on a spinoff series, and while fan theories have been running wild, the creators are talking about what he can expect.
The upcoming spinoff show won’t follow Holly Wheeler, it won’t revisit Montauk, and it won’t lean on familiar faces. Instead, it’s heading somewhere more unexpected.
Ever since the finale dropped, fans have been dissecting every detail for clues about what the spinoff could be. Some assumed the story would jump forward with Holly Wheeler and her friends after we see them playing Dungeons & Dragons in the Wheeler basement.
Others latched onto Jim Hopper’s mention of Montauk, seeing it as a potential setup for a new chapter in a different town. Those guesses made some sense, but according to Ross Duffer, none of them are even close.
In an interview with Deadline, Duffer shut down the speculation, saying: “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.”
What the spinoff actually is revolves around a total creative reset. Duffer explained that while the new series connects to the larger universe, it’s built on fresh foundations. He added:
“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.”
This isn’t going to be a continuation or a remix of the main series. It’s something designed to stand on its own, even while filling in some missing pieces longtime fans have been curious about, so that should be interesting.
One of those pieces involves Vecna, and specifically a small but crucial detail from his past. Matt Duffer teased that the spinoff will finally explain the significance of the rock Vecna found in a briefcase while exploring the caves as a child. That moment helped shape his origins, and it’s about to become a lot more important.
“The spinoff is going to delve into that and explain that, and you're going to understand it. But it's a completely different mythology. So it's not a deep exploration of the Mind Flayer or anything like that. It's very fresh and very new, but yes, it will answer some of the loose threads that are remaining,” Duffer said.
He also made it clear that familiarity won’t be part of the plan. “It's very exciting to work with a clean slate: completely new characters, new town, new world, new mythology,” he added, confirming that there won’t be any “common characters” with the main show.
Creatively, this is a pretty exciting direction. The Duffers aren’t interested in repeating themselves or stretching the original cast thin. Instead, they’re building something smaller, stranger, and more mysterious, while still rewarding viewers who’ve been paying attention since day one.
The world of Stranger Things isn’t ending, it’s evolving, and if the promise of a brand-new mythology tied to one of the show’s darkest secrets is any indication, this spinoff could end up being something seriously cool.