Just as the fourth season of Stranger Things has come to a close, its creators The Duffer Brothers have announced a variety of new projects under a new production company: Upside Down Pictures.
They are continuing their relationship with streamer Netflix as the home of most of the projects, and have tapped producer Hilary Leavitt to lead the company. She has produced projects such as Ozark and was a development executive at BBC America where she was instrumental in helping Orphan Black through its first four seasons.
Matt and Ross Duffer said of Leavitt, “Hilary’s passion for storytelling is perhaps matched by her passion for the storytellers themselves, for whom she is fiercely protective. No wonder so many writers and directors are drawn to working with her. She is a rare talent indeed.”
Upside Down announced some very interesting projects including an expansion of the Stranger Things cinematic universe. A live-action spinoff to the hit sci-fi drama was announced with no plot details revealed yet, and a stage adaptation based in the Stranger Things world is also in the works.
The Duffers and Leavitt have also secured some compelling adaptations. They will be doing their own take of an adaptation of Death Note, the hit Japanese manga and anime series that got a poorly-received American film remake in 2017. It’s not yet confirmed whether the Brothers themselves will be writing the series or if someone else will take the helm here.
The company is also adapting Stephen King and Peter Straub’s novel The Talisman in a co-production with Steven Spielberg’s company Amblin Entertainment. This novel must have piqued the Duffer’s interest because it apparently has its young protagonist Jack Sawyer exploring the American countryside as well as a fantasy parallel reality called “The Territories,” in search of the titular mysterious artifact.
Netflix also showed off some viewership data regarding the recently-completed Stranger Things 4 as part of the announcement. It hit the top of the streamer’s internal Most Popular English TV List, and viewers apparently watched a collective 1.15 billion hours of the show in the first 28 days since release.
