Netflix And Paramount Are Battling Over The Duffer Brothers – What Does This Mean For Stranger Things?

Just a matter of months before the final season of "Stranger Things" is set to premiere on Netflix, series creators Matt and Ross Duffer have entered into negotiations with rival company Paramount for what would be an all-encompassing deal for future projects. Matthew Belloni of Puck News tweeted the report, which has since been confirmed by various trade publications. If it were to go through, there's a chance fans could experience a change of course to what many still see as Netflix's marquee franchise — one that has a confirmed animated spin-off, "Stranger Things: Tales From '85," on the way, and another live-action spin-off in development.

In addition to those projects, which would turn "Stranger Things" from a hit series with smaller media tie-ins to a proper cinematic/TV universe, the Duffers have two entirely unrelated series coming to Netflix in 2026: a sci-fi series called "The Boroughs," starring Bill Pullman, Alfre Woodard, Geena Davis, and Alfred Molina, and a horror series called "Something Very Bad Is Going to Happen" led by "The Hateful Eight" actress Jennifer Jason Leigh. With both of those arriving next year, however, the Duffers could be totally free to move onto a new home if they were to work out a deal.

Of course, this is all still in the negotiation stage, and money is likely to be the determining factor. Paramount recently got an influx of capital via its merger with Skydance, and the company has announced plans to increase the number of theatrical films it produces, hoping to release 20 movies a year very soon as opposed to the 11-14 per year it's been releasing recently. (Interestingly, the Duffers' deal with Paramount would include new movies as well as TV projects.) At the same time, there's a personal draw for the Duffers to move over, as Paramount's current head of streaming, Cindy Holland, was the VP of Original Content at Netflix when "Stranger Things" was first acquired by the platform.

As far as we know, the "Stranger Things" IP remains firmly in the hands of Netflix. That means that even if the Duffer brothers did move over to Paramount, Netflix could technically continue to produce new content set in the universe the Duffers created, including the as-yet-untitled live-action "Stranger Things" spin-off series. Some fans might scowl at that prospect, but it certainly wouldn't be the first time that the creators of a major genre franchise left or sold the IP for others to continue.

Still, Netflix's investment in the duo, both in building out "Stranger Things" and developing new projects, suggests the company will do its best to retain their talents going forward. For all of its popularity, "Stranger Things" hasn't been without its own issues in recent years, the most notable of which are the long gaps between recent seasons, which have become infamous. That hasn't deterred the fandom much, however, and in the modern age of franchising, it's hard to find another IP at Netflix with as much future potential.

Since this is still all up in the air, there's also a possibility that the Duffers could continue working on "Stranger Things" in some capacity in tandem with a new deal at Paramount, but the reports make it sound like Paramount is looking for more of an all-or-nothing kind of agreement. It's hard to see the case for them to pay top dollar for only part of the creative package.

In the wake of the Skydance merger, Paramount has emphasized a renewed focus on increasing both its streaming and theatrical output, with new CEO David Ellison leading the charge. "One of our biggest priorities is restoring Paramount as the No. 1 studio for filmmakers and talent in the world," Ellison told the press shortly after the merger (via Deadline). "Great filmmakers make great movies. For us, we're going to strategically scale the amount of content for our streaming service as well as studios."

The strategy of targeting big-name creators for massive deals is one Netflix itself is familiar with. In the latter case, those contracts have produced mixed returns. High highs include "Bridgerton," a result of the streamer's massive deal with Shonda Rhimes, while a similar deal with "American Horror Story" creator Ryan Murphy has produced more duds than hits.

According to Variety, Paramount is specifically targeting the Duffers for the production of "tentpole movies" — a different avenue than what they've made their name with at Netflix, but perhaps not an unwelcome one. Since the start of the show, the brothers have categorized "Stranger Things" as a series of long-form movies, and their name-recognition could be a boon to both the theatrical and streaming wings of the new Paramount, depending on the scope of the potential contract.

If nothing else, the negotiations show that the streaming wars and larger studio battles of the last decades aren't cooling down. Paramount is making a big play trying to poach one of Netflix's biggest success stories. It remains to be seen if that effort will bear fruit.