Stranger Things gets animated in mysterious new Netflix series

Stranger Things is expanding its reach on television with the first official project outside the flagship show. Last summer, series creators Matt and Ross Duffer announced the launch of Upside Down Pictures to create more content for Netflix, including some Stranger spin-offs. That promise is inching closer to reality with the announcement of a new animated series set in the world of the beloved show.

According to Variety, the new series was developed by Eric Robles (Fanboy & Chum Chum) and Flying Bark Productions. Robles will executive produce alongside the Duffers and Shawn Levy and Dan Cohen of 21 Laps. Otherwise, there are no further details about this mysterious new Stranger Things production.

“We’ve always dreamed of an animated Stranger Things in the vein of the Saturday morning cartoons that we grew up loving, and to see this dream realized has been absolutely thrilling,” the Duffer Brothers said in a statement (via Variety). “We couldn’t be more blown away by what Eric Robles and his team have come up with—the scripts and artwork are incredible, and we can’t wait to share more with you! The adventure continues…”

The new animated series was not one of the projects listed in development when the creators launched Upside Down Pictures. That list included, among other things, a Stranger Things stage play and a spin-off based on an original idea from the Duffers. All we know about the latter is that it will be “1000% different” from the original show and that nobody knows the concept but Finn Wolfhard.

The stage play, meanwhile, is titled The First Shadow, and will premiere on London’s West End in late 2023. The story was developed by the Duffers, Stranger Things writer and co-EP Kate Trefry, and Jack Thorne, who knows a thing or two about creating a stage spin-off. Written by Trefry and Thorne, the script is a prequel that apparently follows Henry Creel (who later becomes the Upside Down’s most fearsome villain, Vecna). According to the synopsis (per Variety), a young Hopper, Joyce, and even Bob Newby might make an appearance.

As for the animated show, the plot remains a mystery for now—but clearly the Stranger Things universe is growing by the minute.