Stranger Things has proved time and time again to be Netflix’s most successful flagship TV series. The show constantly attracts record viewership on the popular streaming site and it has spawned multiple forms of media that collectively form the Stranger Things Cinematic Universe. Adding to this ever-expanding universe, Netflix is reportedly working on an anime series spinoff.
According to DiscussingFilm on Twitter (sourced from What’s on Netflix), the spinoff, which is titled Stranger Things: Tokyo, will feature “two video game-loving twin brothers from the outskirts of 1980s Tokyo who encounter the Upside Down.”
Branded as “the first” Stranger Things spinoff, the anime is expected to have a runtime of 6 hours. Information regarding the development of the series was first disclosed in July 2022, when it was revealed that a spin-off stage play and a spin-off television series were in the works, with the stage play being written by Sonia Friedman and Stephen Daldry.
A ‘STRANGER THINGS’ anime spin-off is reportedly in the works.
The series, titled ‘STRANGER THINGS: TOKYO’, would follow 2 video game-loving twin brothers from the outskirts of 1980s Tokyo who encounter the Upside Down.
(Source: https://t.co/kALR8qYLPl) pic.twitter.com/xsTyOzHSVw
— DiscussingFilm (@DiscussingFilm) December 23, 2022
Matt Duffer, the co-creator of Stranger Things alongside his brother Ross Duffer, spoke on the Happy Sad Confused podcast, stating that the anime would be “1,000% different” from the Netflix sci-fi series and adding that the spinoff would be a “story that connects to the Stranger Things world, but it really is more about how we’re telling that story.” Although the Duffer Brothers haven’t revealed any more details regarding the plot of the spinoff, Matt expressed his opinion on why they decided to make the series, saying:
In terms of if we were to do any sort of a spinoff, or any continuation of Stranger Things, for us the bar was always, ‘Is the idea exciting enough that we feel the pull of wanting to do it again?’ I want to feel the pull of, ‘God, I really want to do this. I feel really, really excited about this.’
In March 2022, Marvel Studios announced that Shawn Levy, who served as the director and executive producer of Stranger Things, would direct the upcoming Deadpool 3 film. In an interview with Variety earlier this year, Levy revealed how working with Marvel’s Kevin Feige has influenced his outlook on creating a shared universe, saying:
Yes, we are building out the STCU, and now that I’m spending time with [chief creative officer of Marvel Entertainment] Kevin Feige, I’m learning a lot about how to manage a universe.
So I’m taking those skills and applying them to the STCU.
Production is expected to begin sometime after the Duffer Brothers wrap up the final season of Stranger Things, which will begin filming next year. With a premiere date set for 2024, the fifth and final season will have only eight episodes.
Stranger Things Season 4 ends the year as Netflix’s most popular show, barely edging out the upstart, Wednesday. If Wednesday is renewed for a second season next year, the final season of Stranger Things and Season 2 of Wednesday could duke it out in 2024. Fingers crossed, Squid Game, which was recently officially confirmed, will have returned for a new season by then.
