Paramount Ropes in The Duffer Brothers for a New Venture
In recent industry shifts, Paramount’s new management has made substantial strides. Their most significant achievements include securing the rights to UFC broadcasts and enticing The Duffer Brothers and their venture, Upside Down Pictures, to leave Netflix. However, their transition to Paramount, scheduled for 2026, does not spell the end of all their ongoing projects on Netflix.
To provide some background, Netflix signed a global agreement with Upside Down Pictures (previously known as Monkey Massacre Productions) in September 2019. This contract, which lasts until April 2026, covered all their film and television work. But with Paramount securing a new deal with The Duffer Brothers, they’ve reunited them with Cindy Holland, a seasoned Netflix executive who collaborated with the duo on the hit show Stranger Things.
The fresh agreement with Paramount, running through 20330, will incorporate theatrical releases, a scope they were either not allowed or chose not to undertake with Netflix. At present, the much-anticipated Stranger Things Season 5 is in post-production.
The popular series Stranger Things has been less fortunate, with production heavily impacted by back-to-back crises in the entertainment industry. Season 4 experienced significant delays due to the 2020-21 pandemic, while production for season 5 was obstructed by two major strikes in 2023.
Regardless of these setbacks, the filming managed to kick-off. In fact, Stranger Things remains paramount in Netflix’s catalog, only surpassed by the likes of Squid Game and Wednesday. The return of the series has been broken down into third segments, which aim to wrap up the thrilling narrative that debuted on Netflix in 2016.
An encompassing preview of Stranger Things has been shared separately, and we won’t delve into all the intricate details of season 5 here. What is certain though, is that the series plans an epic conclusion. The first part, featuring 4 episodes, is slated to air on November 26, 2025. The subsequent parts, each featuring three and one last episode respectively, will premiere on December 25, 2025, and December 31, 2025.
Beyond the principal series, the Stranger Things universe is set for an expansion. One of the known future projects is the 2026 release, Stranger Things: Tales from ’85. This animated series, set in the winter of 1985 between the second and third seasons of the parent series, has already been renewed for a second season. It promises new and familiar monsters while exploring a paranormal mystery terrorizing the town.
The new stories under the Stranger Things banner promise diversely scoped narratives. In addition, ‘The First Shadow’ stage play is being staged within Broadway in New York and London’s West End indefinitely. Although there’s no current intention to make a recorded version available on Netflix, this decision may be revisited once the stage performances eventually wrap up.
Another series, ‘Something Very Bad Is Going To Happen’, currently in Post-Production, has a confirmed 2026 release date. This is one of two series projects where The Duffers act purely as executive producers, with the other one being The Boroughs lead by Jeffrey Addiss and Will Matthews.
Shot in Albuquerque, New Mexico, from September 2024 to early 2025, The Boroughs unfolds in a scenic retirement community tucked in the New Mexico desert. Here, a band of unexpected heroes come together to thwart an alien threat, set to rob the one thing they lack—time.
A new series, unveiled in the summer of 2025, is set to adapt a novel penned by Ron Currie. Set in Waterville, Maine, this series revolves around Babs Dionne, the crime matriarch of the town. Babs, along with her loyal teenage gang and her eldest daughter Lori, controls the local drug trade.
The plot takes a turn when a formidable drug dealer, noting a dip in his northeastern territories, sends a sinister figure known as ‘The Man’ to investigate. Meanwhile, Babs’s youngest sister has inexplicably disappeared. Another series, ‘Death Note’, based on the Japanese manga and anime of the same name, remains uncertain.
After the initial announcement, it was confirmed in late 2022 that Halia Abdel-Meguid would be writing and producing the series. Her website currently lists the series as an ongoing project. Hence, there’s optimism, especially since Dan Lin, Netflix’s current head of film, was affiliated with the series as a producer, predating his ascend to Netflix.
The status of ‘The Talisman’ is still uncertain. Netflix announced development of this series, based on the Stephen King and Peter Straub’s book, in March 2021. Although initially produced by Steven Spielberg and Amblin Television, there haven’t been significant developments since its inception.
The series promises to be an elaborate blend of sci-fi, fantasy, and horror. These changes mark a significant shift in the dynamics of the entertainment industry, emphasizing the importance of strategic alliances, responsive adaptability, and emerging types of content in shaping the future of entertainment.