It’s official. Stranger Things creators Matt and Ross Duffer are officially leaving Netflix and heading to Paramount.

The brothers have signed an exclusive four-year deal to develop movies, television, and streaming projects for Paramount, beginning once their current agreement with Netflix ends in April 2026. All upcoming projects will be developed under their production company, Upside Down Pictures.  They will be running alongside producing partner and company president Hilary Leavitt.

Why Did Duffer Brothers Leave Netflix?

According to the reports, the main reason behind the move to Paramount’s willingness to give their films a theatrical release. Netflix mainly focuses on premiering its movies on streaming services and only experimenting with limited theatrical runs for select titles. For example, Netflix’s upcoming film Frankenstein will screen in theaters for just two weeks before heading to the platform.

Sharing their excitement about the new deal, the brothers released a statement:

“We couldn’t be more thrilled to be joining the Paramount family. To be part of that mission is not just exciting – it’s the fulfillment of a lifelong dream. And to do so at a studio with such a storied Hollywood legacy is a privilege we don’t take lightly. We’re also excited to reunite with our friends Cindy Holland and Matt Thunell, who were among the very first to believe in us and an unusual little script we wrote that became ‘Stranger Things.’ They took a chance on us in 2015, and they’re taking a chance again – we can’t wait to create new stories together.”

What This Means for Stranger Things

Even though Stranger Things is ending with Season 5 in December 2025, the Duffers will remain connected to the franchise ever after their Netflix deal officially wraps in 2026. According to Variety, they’ll continue to serve as executive producers on the Stranger Things animated series and other spin-offs within the universe. However, their involvement may be more behind-the-scenes rather than creative.

In another joint statement, they added:

“We’re excited to continue collaborating – not only on the upcoming release of ‘Stranger Things 5,’ but also on shows we’re deeply proud to be producing, including ‘Something Very Bad Is Going to Happen’ and ‘The Boroughs.’ And we look forward to building out the future of ‘Stranger Things’ together – there are many more stories to tell beyond Hawkins, and we can’t wait to share them.”