Stranger Things Showrunners Tease 'More Stories To Come,' Spin-Offs Seem Likely

The bittersweet news of the day comes directly from the creatives behind one of Netflix's flagship series, "Stranger Things." After a series of pandemic-related delays prompted a seemingly endless hiatus, the sci-fi horror saga is finally returning — but with an endgame in sight. Having kicked off back in 2016, "Stranger Things" has come a long way since four nerdy boys stumbled across an Eggo-loving, psychokinetic girl. Just take a look at the stars of the show, their growth spurts say it all: it's been many years of watching El (Millie Bobbie Brown), Mike (Finn Wolfhard), Lucas (Caleb McLaughlin), Will (Noah Schnapp), and Dustin (Gaten Matarazzo) just barely escape danger, fight off Demogorgons, and battle first crushes. And while the love for the show only continues to grow, the ending looms on the horizon. Now, Netflix has officially announced that following a two-part fourth season, the story will come to a close with season 5. But that won't mean leaving the world of "Stranger Things" behind for good.

In their open letter to fans, series creators Matt and Ross Duffer dangled the possibility of a "Stranger Things" spinoff. They wrote:

"There are still many more exciting stories to tell within the world of Stranger Things: new mysteries, new adventures, new unexpected heroes. But first we hope you stay with us as we finish this tale of a powerful girl named Eleven and her brave friends, of a broken police chief and a ferocious mom, of a small town called Hawkins and an alternate dimension known only as the Upside Down."

The Duffer Brothers certainly don't offer anything concrete — they're nothing if not mysterious — but at the very least, it sounds like a spinoff has been discussed and they certainly have room to expand the "Stranger Things" world. Most importantly, this is a big step up from last year when the director and executive producer Shawn Levy was asked about the possibility of spinoffs and said, "those conversations are hardly evolved, but they're also not non-existent."

The idea of branching off seems much more evolved now, which makes sense given the popularity of the series. If the ending is within sight, it could very well be the start of something new. It certainly helps that each season of "Stranger Things" has expanded the world considerably. Back in season 1, our characters were solving the mystery of Will Byers' disappearance and by season 3, their small town is reeling from the terror and destruction of the Battle of Starcourt. The conspiracy that opened the gate to The Upside Down and gave El her powers is more complicated than ever so as the series wraps up and the mystery finally unravels, there will no doubt be tons of opportunities for new stories in this world.

As for "Stranger Things" and our already beloved characters, the endgame is well upon us and from the sound of it, we're gearing up for a suitably epic finale. In their letter, the Duffer Brothers note that the fourth season took "nine scripts, over eight hundred pages, almost two years of filming, thousands of visual effects shots" and ultimately lands on "a runtime nearly twice the length of any previous season." As for the plot, Netflix offered this synopsis:

​​It's been six months since the Battle of Starcourt, which brought terror and destruction to Hawkins. Struggling with the aftermath, our group of friends are separated for the first time – and navigating the complexities of high school hasn't made things any easier. In this most vulnerable time, a new and horrifying supernatural threat surfaces, presenting a gruesome mystery that, if solved, might finally put an end to the horrors of the Upside Down.

"Stranger Things" season 4, Vol. 1 will release on May 27, 2022, followed a few weeks later by Vol. 2 on July 1, 2022.