A Stranger Things animated series has been greenlit at Netflix. While Stranger Things is set to conclude after season 5, its universe will continue to expand, co-creators Matt and Ross Duffer confirmed. There are no details on the premise or the voice cast, besides a clue stating “The adventure continues…”, presumably hinting that the story is set after the events of Stranger Things 5. The Duffer Brothers also claimed that the show would be in the vein of ‘Saturday morning cartoons’, which aligns with the live-action series’ 1980s timeline. In terms of style, we can presumably expect something like Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles or G.I. Joe.
“We’ve always dreamed of an animated Stranger Things in the vein of the Saturday morning cartoons that we grew up loving, and to see this dream realized has been absolutely thrilling,” Matt and Ross Duffer said in a prepared statement. “We couldn’t be more blown away by what Eric Robles and his team have come up with — the scripts and artwork are incredible, and we can’t wait to share more with you! The adventure continues…” Australian animation team Flying Bark Productions, best known for the Marvel Cinematic Universe’s What If…?, has been hired to develop the Stranger Things animated series. The Duffer Brothers will executive produce the series under their Upside Down Pictures banner, which they established last year.
While the animated Stranger Things show is the first spin-off to be greenlit by Netflix, there are a few other upcoming projects from the Duffer Brothers. First up, we’ve got a London stage play set within the Upside Down universe called Stranger Things: The First Shadow, followed by another untitled live-action offshoot. Meanwhile, Stranger Things season 5 is expected to begin filming this May, as confirmed by actor Noah Schnapp — who plays Will Byers in the show — during an Instagram live session.
However, it’s not expected to air on Netflix until 2024. Back in November, the creators also revealed the title for episode 1, ‘The Crawl,’ with season 5 being primarily set in Hawkins, as the leads explore the history surrounding the parallel world — the realm where monsters like the Demogrogon and Mind Flayer resided in before stepping into the real world.
Ross Duffer also revealed in an earlier interview that Will Byers will have a significant role to play in Stranger Things 5 — not surprising, given his abduction was the catalyst for the entire show. Reports from last year also revealed that the Duffer Brothers had finally settled on a writer, Halia Abdel-Meguid, to adapt the critically acclaimed manga/ anime Death Note. At the time, it was confirmed that the directing duo would have ‘an entirely original take’ on the IP.
News regarding the Stranger Things animated series arrives a few weeks after Netflix announced a Scott Pilgrim anime, which would bring back the cast of the 2010 Edgar Wright film for voice roles. As mentioned before, voice casting for the Stranger Things animated series hasn’t been confirmed yet.