'Matt and Ross Duffer, creators of the popular series "Stranger Things," are reportedly in negotiations to depart from Netflix and sign a substantial overall deal with Paramount.'
Duffer Brothers Sign Exclusive Four-Year Deal with Paramount, Shifting Focus to Large-Scale Theatrical Films
The creators of the critically acclaimed Netflix series, "Stranger Things," Matt and Ross Duffer, have announced a significant change in their career path. After a series of successful collaborations with Netflix, the Duffers have signed a four-year exclusive deal with Paramount, starting from April 2026.
Under this agreement, the Duffers will create a broad slate of projects spanning films, linear television, and streaming series. However, the emphasis will be on directing ambitious, large-scale theatrical films, aligning with Paramount's post-merger strategic focus on theatrical releases.
This move marks a shift from their previous exclusive relationship with Netflix, though they will continue to work on existing Netflix projects such as the upcoming final season of Stranger Things and the animated spin-off Stranger Things: Tales of ’85. The Paramount partnership also reconnects them with former Netflix executives Cindy Holland and Matt Thunell, who played key roles in greenlighting Stranger Things and now hold leadership positions at Paramount.
The specific new projects under the Paramount deal have yet to be announced, but the scale and multi-platform scope suggest the Duffer Brothers will flex their talents across feature films aimed at wide audiences, potentially including four-quadrant family movies.
The Duffers have already completed production on two new series, "The Boroughs" and "Something Very Bad Is Going to Happen," set to debut on Netflix in 2026. Their career took a significant turn when their pilot script for "Stranger Things" was turned down by almost every network in the industry before Shawn Levy's 21 Laps came onboard and sold the show to Netflix.
Before gaining fame with "Stranger Things," the Duffers' directorial debut, "Hidden," was sat on by Warner Bros. for years and ultimately dumped into the VOD market. The first season of "Stranger Things," for which the Duffers directed six of the eight episodes, became an instant sensation when it debuted in July 2016, marking Netflix's first home-grown hit show without a name-brand creator or subject matter.
The Duffers' move to Paramount is in response to a recent takeover of the studio by David Ellison's Skydance. They will work with Josh Greenstein and Dana Goldberg, who share film and series creative duties at Paramount. The negotiations aim for the Duffers to exclusively create film and television content, with an emphasis on tentpole movies, at Paramount. This potential move indicates a shift in the dealmaking ecosystem of Hollywood.
References: [1] The Hollywood Reporter [2] Deadline [3] Variety
The Duffer Brothers, known for their work in ‘movies-and-tv’, are moving from Netflix to Paramount, demonstrating their expansion in the ‘entertainment’ industry. Under this new deal, they will focus on directing large-scale theatrical films, creating a mix of projects spanning films, linear television, and streaming series.
