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The creators of the wildly popular Netflix series Stranger Things have launched a new company inspired by it with new projects on deck in addition to a new deal with the streaming giant.
According to reports, Matt and Ross Duffer have formed Upside Down Pictures, a new company taking its name from the iconic sci-fi thriller series they created. They’ve also recommitted to a deal with Netflix to release new projects under that banner. The news was announced after the record-breaking release of the final two episodes of Stranger Things’ fourth season, setting records which include being the biggest premiere weekend for an English-language TV series ever on the platform.
The brothers state that Upside Down Pictures is their vehicle to further create “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.” Hilary Levitt, who previously helped develop series such as Orphan Black, Ozark, and Shining Girls joins the company to oversee development. Previously, she had developed television series projects for Hulu and BBC America.
“Matt and Ross are an exceptionally unique talent with a vision so crisp and clear,” said Ted Sarandos, co-CEO and Chief Creative Partner of Netflix in a statement about the announcement. “They are all about the details — it’s no accident that Stranger Things has pierced the zeitgeist to become the epic pop culture phenomenon it is today. We’re excited to continue telling new stories with them as they grow Upside Down Pictures and to welcome Hilary as a creative partner.”
Projects that the Duffer Brothers will move forward on include a live-action version of the popular Japanese anime series Death Note, a serial adaptation of the 1984 Stephen King & Peter Straub novel The Talisman, and a spin-off series of Stranger Things along with a stage play that will take place within the world and mythology of that series.
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