Duffers eye Paramount deal

The Hollywood Reporter says Matt and Ross Duffer are negotiating an overall deal with Paramount that could include feature films.

Duffer Brothers move to Paramount signals shift in talent race

The Hollywood Reporter reports that Matt and Ross Duffer are negotiating an overall deal with Paramount. The package could include feature films and would reunite the brothers with Cindy Holland, who championed Stranger Things at Netflix and now oversees streaming at Paramount. The final season of Stranger Things will unfold in three parts, beginning November 26 with four episodes, followed by a Christmas batch of three episodes and a New Year’s Eve finale.

If confirmed, the move would mark a high profile shift as Paramount, now under Skydance ownership, seeks to reassert its appeal to top creators. The deal would also leverage existing ties, including Matt Thunell, head of Paramount TV Studios, who previously worked with the Duffers at Netflix.

This is a clear sign of the talent war reshaping where big stories are developed. Paramount wants long term partnerships that blend streaming reach with cinema ambitions, while Netflix faces ongoing pressure to keep marquee creators from drifting. The match with Cindy Holland adds a layer of institutional memory to Paramount’s push, suggesting a strategy that builds bridges between development and distribution.

The broader context is a corporate reshuffle that changes the stakes for every signing. Skydance’s control of Paramount signals a renewed appetite for bold bets and a willingness to back projects with cross platform potential. The industry will watch how budgets, timing, and creative freedom line up behind this deal and what it means for the next generation of high profile series and films.

Highlights

The path ahead for these two studios will test how far talent is willing to travel for backing and freedom