The Duffer Brothers say the Stranger Things spin-off is “1000% different” from the original

When we finally say goodbye to the gang from Hawkins in the Stranger Things finale, it really will be goodbye—even with a spinoff looming on the horizon. The Duffer Brothers already hinted that the spinoff will go in an unexpected direction, but during their appearance on the Happy Sad Confused podcast, they stress that the next series will be “1000% different”

“It’s not following…I’ve read these rumors that there’s gonna be an Eleven spinoff, that there’s gonna be a Steve and Dustin spinoff or that it’s another number. That’s not interesting to me because we’ve done all that. We’ve spent I don’t know how many hours exploring all of that. So it’s very different,” the creators tease.

We guess that rules out David Harbour’s idea for a young Hopper series starring Jacob Elordi. But if the new show doesn’t follow any of the “numbers” from Dr. Brenner’s lab, in which direction will it spin off? Apparently, only the Duffer Brothers (and Finn Wolfhard) know.

“The most important connective tissue I would say is the storytelling sensibility of it,” they explain. “There is story that connects to the Stranger Things world, but it really is more about how we’re telling that story.”

And by the way, the Duffers won’t be the main people “telling that story.” While they “want to be very involved,” Ross Duffer says they’re looking for someone else to take the reins “while we go on to do new stuff.”

“The idea, ultimately, is to pass the baton to someone else, someone who’s hopefully really talented and passionate,” Matt Duffer agrees. “Even the idea of Ross and I, say, doing a pilot and leaving it, it just feels silly to me. You really need to be there from the beginning to end. I think we need to find a partner to help us with that.” Best of luck to whoever inherits the empire of the Upside Down.