Monday’s announcement that Netflix had renewed Stranger Things for a fourth season wasn’t all that surprising. Sure, the short video teaser accompanying the news indicated that the show would be departing from the fictional town of Hawkins, Indiana with the tagline “WE’RE NOT IN HAWKINS ANYMORE,” but aside from that, some moody music, and a few colorful graphics, the preview was unsurprisingly vague. What wasn’t vague, however, was the announcement’s revealing that Netflix had signed creators Matt and Ross Duffer to “a multi-year film and series overall deal.”
Aside from creating and showrunning Stranger Things, the Duffer Brothers’ only other professional television experience came on M. Night Shyamalan’s short-lived FOX series Wayward Pines, which they wrote and executive produced. Otherwise, the pair’s previous work consisted entirely of short films dating back to 2005. As The Hollywood Reporter notes, though, Stranger Things is the “most popular scripted original series.” So, between the show’s Emmy nominations and wins and its more-than-likely “multimillion-dollar licensing business of merchandising,” Netflix probably has a lot of faith in the Duffer Brothers’ abilities. Hence the new overall deal for additional television and film projects.
Or, as Netflix’s Ted Sarandos put it in a statement, “The Duffer Brothers have captivated viewers around the world with Stranger Things and we’re thrilled to expand our relationship with them to bring their vivid imaginations to other film and series projects our members will love.”
(Via The Hollywood Reporter)
