Duffer Brothers strike deal with Paramount Skydance

The Duffer Brothers sign an exclusive four-year agreement with Paramount Skydance for feature films, television and streaming projects.

Duffer Brothers seal four-year deal with Paramount Skydance

The Duffer Brothers, creators of Stranger Things, have signed an exclusive four-year deal with Paramount Skydance that covers feature films, television and streaming projects. Upside Down Pictures will develop projects for Paramount after Netflix completes its current deal in April 2026.

Netflix remains involved with two projects in development, Something Very Bad Is Going to Happen and The Boroughs, with the Duffers continuing to work with Netflix on those titles. The deal comes as Paramount merged with Skydance, broadening the studio's reach. The final season of Stranger Things is set to stream on Netflix this fall.

This move signals a strategic shift for a creator duo who helped shape a streaming era. It gives Paramount Skydance access to a proven franchise builder and a wider slate of production and distribution. It also raises questions about how Netflix projects in development will be affected and how rights and creative control are managed across studios. For the industry, the deal mirrors a broader trend of mega studios courting top creator talent to secure tentpoles and streaming exclusives. Yet it also tests how seamlessly a big merger translates into practical collaboration on multiple projects across platforms.

The backdrop of a major merger and a talent move makes this a high-stakes sign of where the business of storytelling is headed. Viewers may gain more cross-platform content, but the balance between creative freedom and corporate strategy will be watched closely as projects move between Netflix and Paramount Skydance.

Highlights

The next chapter will reveal how well the alliance blends risk with imagination.