Stranger Things creators Matt and Ross Duffer have formed Upside Down Pictures, a production company that will create film and television projects as part of their overall deal with Netflix. According to a release, Hilary Leavitt (Orphan Black, Ozark) has been hired to run the company.
Added the Duffer Brothers, Upside Down Pictures will “aim to create the kind of stories that inspired [us] growing up–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.”
Right out of the gate, the company has announced a number of projects including:
- A live-action series adaptation of the popular Japanese manga and anime series Death Note. Note that there has been since 2006 a string of Japanese-originated films based on the series, plus a musical, drama series, and mini-series.
- An original series from creators Jeffrey Addiss and Will Matthews (Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance)
- A series adaptation of Stephen King and Peter Straub‘s The Talisman alongside Steven Spielberg’s Amblin Entertainment and Paramount Television to be created by Curtis Gwinn
- A new stage play set within the world and mythology of Stranger Things, produced by prolific and multi award-winning producers Sonia Friedman, Stephen Daldry (The Crown, Billy Elliot, The Reader), and Netflix. Daldry will also direct. 21 Laps serves as Associate Producer.
All these, and a previously announced Stranger Things spin-off that will be led by a new showrunner. In a recent interview, the Duffer Brothers ended some prevailing rumors about the spin-off, saying that the upcoming project will not center on an existing Stranger Things character, but instead have a “similar sensibility.” The brothers added, “Hopefully we find that right person to pass the baton to while we go on to do new stuff.” A Stranger Things spin-off was confirmed by Netflix as at least possible back in February.
Currently, the Duffer Brothers are decompressing after finishing Season 4 of Stranger Things. Reportedly, the pair will begin writing Season 5–the show’s final batch of episodes–in August.
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