As viewers prepare for the fifth and final season of Stranger Things, creators Matt and Ross Duffer have announced that the Upside Down may not close its doors permanently. The Duffer Brothers revealed plans to expand the universe with new stories.
In February 2022, the writing team addressed the future of Stranger Things in an open letter to fans. They stated that the complete story arc was planned seven years prior.
"At that time, we predicted the story would last four to five seasons," they shared on the series’ official social media. "It proved too large to tell in four, but, as you’ll soon see for yourselves, we are now hurtling toward our finale. Season 4 will be the penultimate; Season 5 will be the last."
The executive producers confirmed intentions to delve deeper into the Stranger Things universe. Their message concluded, "There are still many exciting stories to tell in the world of Stranger Things: new mysteries, new adventures, new unexpected heroes."
The original science fiction series first premiered on Netflix in 2016. It quickly captivated audiences with the mysterious town of Hawkins, Indiana. The show depicted monsters unleashed after a portal to another dimension, the Upside Down, opened in Season 1.
Director Shawn Levy offered insights into the show’s expected conclusion before the fourth season premiered. He spoke with Us Weekly in May 2022.
"No one is improvising," Levy said. "The Duffer Brothers have an idea of how the series ends and have hinted at it for the past six and a half years." He added that their vision is now "very, very clear" for the final, "truly worthwhile and amazing" season.
Levy emphasized the creators’ desire to conclude the story organically. "We don’t want to be one of those series that overstays its welcome and stumbles while looking for a good landing," he explained. "We really want to do it right. I feel we’ve achieved that with every season and we want to achieve it with the series as well."