The Duffer Brothers Announce New 'Stranger Things' Spin-off and Production Company
Hot off the success of Stranger Things 4 Volume 2, series creators, The Duffer Brothers, have announced the formation of Upside Down Pictures. This new production company is part of the duo’s overall deal with Netflix which will see the creation of several film and television projects for the streaming service.
The Duffer Brothers’ impact on Netflix is astounding. Most recently, Stranger Things 4 became the most viewed season of English-language TV in a single week. The latest season also crossed one billion hours of viewership in the first 28 days since the premiere. It’s hard to picture Netflix without Stranger Things.
At the helm of Upside Down Pictures is Hilary Leavitt. “It didn’t take long into our first meeting with Hilary, where we bonded over films like Jaws, Home Alone, and Speed, to know we had found a kindred spirit,” Matt and Ross Duffer say.
“Hilary’s passion for storytelling is perhaps matched only by her passion for the storytellers themselves, for whom she is fiercely protective,” the Duffer Brothers continue. “No wonder so many writers and directors are drawn to working with her. She is a rare talent indeed, and we feel extremely grateful to have her at our side as we build Upside Down Pictures.”
Leavitt began her career working at BBC America where she helped to develop and manage Orphan Black. The series was a highly-decorated critical darling that would earn lead actor Tatiana Maslany an Emmy Award in 2016. After Orphan Black, Leavitt moved to VP of Television at MRC where she worked on Netflix’s Ozark, Hulu’s The Great, and Apple’s Shining Girls. As evidenced by her work on these shows, Leavitt champions stories with queer and female-driven focuses.
“We love movies and television,” Leavitt says. “This love is at the core of Upside Down Pictures, where we’re able to collaborate with other artists on projects across the full spectrum of genre. We all love what we do and are excited to do more and more.”
The Duffer Brothers and Netflix already have multiple projects in various stages of development. A live-action series based on the famed Japanese anime Death Note, a brand new series from the creators of Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance (Jeffrey Addiss and Will Matthews), and an adaptation of Stephen King and Peter Straub’s The Talisman (in conjunction with Steven Spielberg’s Amblin Entertainment and Paramount Television) are all in the works.
The Duffer Brothers’ beloved Stranger Things has one final season, but that will not be the last fans will see of the Upside Down. A live-action spin-off series is in development based on a concept by The Duffer Brothers. The world of Stranger Things will also make its stage debut with an upcoming play. Sonia Friedman and Stephen Daldry serve as the writers for this stage play and have credits on The Crown, Billy Elliot, and The Reader. Daldry will also direct the play.
The mission of Upside Down Pictures, according to Matt and Ross Duffer, is “to create the kind of stories that inspired [us] growing up - stories that take place at that beautiful crossroads where the ordinary meets the extraordinary, where big spectacle co-exists with intimate character work, where heart wins out over cynicism.”
