"A live-action spinoff": Ross Duffer shares insight on the possibility of a Stranger Things feature film

Stranger Things is closing with a rare big-screen flourish and a streaming debut on December 31 across more than 350 North American theaters at 5 p.m. PT. That scale revived the evergreen question about a feature film. Ross Duffer addressed it directly at a season 5 press conference and cooled expectations, while stressing that the team’s real focus is a live-action spinoff already teased for years.

Matt Duffer said the flagship story for Eleven, Hawkins and the Upside Down ends with season 5. At the same time, the brand is expanding through an animated prequel for 2026 and fresh universe projects. The brothers have also signed a separate deal to make original theatrical films at Paramount, which further explains why a Stranger Things movie is not a priority.

What Ross Duffer actually said about a Stranger Things movie

As per SlashFilm report dated November 27, 2025, Ross Duffer stated,

“I don't know about a movie. We are in early, early days of talking — we have this spin-off idea we've spoken about before. A live-action spinoff. It would be another TV series, though.”

That frames the headline clearly. The spinoff is television, not a film, and the priority is development work rather than a greenlight. Matt Duffer remarked,

“It is the end of the story of these characters and Hawkins and the Upside Down.”

That sets the guardrails for any future project wearing the Stranger Things name. In simple terms, the flagship arc ends. Any new screen story would not extend Eleven or Hawkins. As per Radio Times report dated November 18, 2025, Ross Duffer stated,

“We’ve had the idea for a live-action spin-off for a few years, and only recently have we actually had the time and bandwidth to work on it… it’s not a continuation of the story of any of these characters in the flagship show, or of Hawkins.”

That line closes the back door on a stealth sequel and aligns with the quotes above. Stranger Things remains the universe anchor, but the next live-action chapter is a fresh set of faces.

What’s actually moving forward in the Stranger Things universe?

As per Netflix Tudum report dated October 23, 2025, the feature-length finale will screen in 350 plus theaters in the United States and Canada at 5 p.m. PT on December 31, timed to the global Netflix premiere.

That confirms the event release and the exact timing. The animated series Stranger Things: Tales From ’85 arrives in 2026 and sits between seasons 2 and 3. Ross Duffer added in that reveal that animation lets the team “go wild,” which hints at bolder worldbuilding outside the flagship cast.

As per Paramount press release dated August 19, 2025, Matt and Ross Duffer signed a four-year exclusive pact to write, produce and direct large-scale theatrical films. That ambition is separate from Stranger Things, which still lives at Netflix, and it explains why any near-term franchise film would likely not be a Duffer-directed project.

Could a Stranger Things feature film still happen, and what would it be?

As per SlashFilm report dated November 27, 2025, and Radio Times report dated November 18, 2025, the creators reiterate that season 5 ends the Hawkins story and that the live-action follow-up is a TV series. That makes near-term film odds low. A conditional path still exists. As per Netflix Tudum report dated October 23, 2025, the finale’s theatrical event tests big-screen demand.

If turnout and sentiment are strong, Netflix could commission a feature with new leads and a fresh locale. Speculative fits that respect canon include an anthology one-off set elsewhere in the 1980s, a contained international contact with the Upside Down, or an MKUltra-era story unconnected to Hawkins. Ross Duffer reiterated the spinoff is not a continuation, which these ideas honor. Stranger Things can grow without revisiting the core party.

Stay tuned for more updates.