Hot on the heels of the record-breaking conclusion of the fourth season of Netflix’s “Stranger Things,” creators Matt and Ross Duffer have formed a new shingle called Upside Down Pictures, recommitting to their current streaming home.
The ambitious inaugural slate for Upside Down Pictures includes a live-action spin-off of the flagship series created and developed by the Duffers; a Curtis Gwinn–led adaptation of Stephen King and Peter Straub’s “The Talisman,” which the brothers will produce alongside their hero Steven Spielberg; a British stage play set within the world of “Stranger Things” from director and producer Stephen Daldry (and co-produced by prolific U.K.-based stage producer Sonia Friedman); and a new adaptation of Japanese manga/anime “Death Note” (previously adapted by Netflix into the 2017 Adam Wingard live-action movie). All of this on top of having to finish “Stranger Things” with its upcoming fifth (and final) season.
According to an official statement from the Duffer Brothers, the Upside Down Pictures shingle will “aim to create the kind of stories that inspired the Duffers 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.” The shingle aims to create new film and series projects and has hired Hilary Leavitt (a veteran of “Orphan Black” and “Ozark”) to run the company.
“Matt and Ross are an exceptionally unique talent with a vision so crisp and clear. They are all about the details — it’s no accident that ‘Stranger Things’ has pierced the zeitgeist to become the epic pop culture phenomenon it is today,” Netflix CEO Ted Sarandos said in an official statement. “We’re excited to continue telling new stories with them as they grow Upside Down Pictures and to welcome Hilary as creative partner.”
Deadline first reported the news.
