The Final Season of ‘Stranger Things’ Is ‘Like Eight Blockbuster Movies,’ Says the Duffer Brothers

For the Duffer Brothers, the Next on Netflix 2025 event was a platform to discuss the end of their Emmy-winning global hit series “Stranger Things,” and the beginning of the next chapter of their partnership with the streaming service.

After the presentation began with a clip reel teasing how Season 4 villain Vecna and the Upside Down have invaded the characters’ hometown of Hawkins, Indiana, the filmmaking pair came onto the Egyptian Theatre stage in Hollywood to share some behind the scenes details about the show’s final season.

“This is our biggest and most ambitious season yet. It’s like eight blockbuster movies,” said Ross Duffer. “At the same time, we think it’s our most personal story. It was super intense and emotional to film—for us and for our actors,” said Matt Duffer.

With both the introduction they received from Netflix Chief Content Officer Bela Bejaria, and their own presentation, there was an emphasis on how “Stranger Things” has been a decade long journey for the Duffer Brothers. “There was so much crying,” said Matt, discussing the final days of production on Season 5. “The show means so much to all of us, and everyone put their hearts and souls into it. And we hope — and believe — that passion will translate to the screen.”

Though Netflix has yet to announce a release date for the final season of “Stranger Things,” the show’s creators did tease the play “Stranger Things: The First Shadow,” opening on Broadway in March 2025 after an Olivier-winning run in London, as “a mega episode of the show unfolding live before your eyes.” The piece, written by longtime “Stranger Things” writer Kate Trefry and directed by Stephen Daldry, is an origin story about the man who would become Vecna.

While there are even more “Stranger Things” related projects in the works for after the TV series ends, the Duffers were not yet ready to announce anything specific, just an assurance that they will be deeply involved in whatever may come. “It’s very important to us that anything with the ‘Stranger Things’ name on it is of the highest quality and not repetitive — that it has a reason to exist and always blazes its own path,” said Matt.

At the same time, the two brothers did joke about how “The Boroughs,” one of the new shows they’re producing for 2026 under their Upside Down Pictures banner, shares DNA with their beloved sci-fi series. “It’s about a group of misfits who fight an otherworldly evil. Only unlike ‘Stranger Things,’ it’s set in a retirement community, so that’s something different,” said Matt. “This time our misfits are a little on the older side. They ride golf carts, not bikes.” The series will star Alfred Molina, Geena Davis, Alfre Woodard, Bill Pullman.

Meanwhile the last title the Duffers teased has young actors Camila Morrone and Adam DiMarco taking the lead fresh off their breakout roles in “Daisy Jones & The Six” and “The White Lotus,” respectively. “‘Something Very Bad is Going to Happen,’ [is] a series that follows a bride and groom in a chaotic, anxiety-filled week leading up to their wedding. It dives into the horror and dread that often comes with making a lifelong commitment to someone — something that anyone who’s ever been in a relationship can definitely relate to,” said Ross. 

While the show’s creator Haley Z. Boston is a relative newcomer, much like the Duffer Brothers were when they received the greenlight on “Stranger Things,” it will be directed by Weronika Tofilska, who was recently nominated for an Emmy for her work on Netflix’s “Baby Reindeer.”