With many tears shed, we officially said goodbye to Stranger Things with its season five finale. But wipe those cheeks, because the story of Hawkins is far from over — the show’s universe is only just getting started. Yep, a Stranger Things spinoff is officially in the works.
In the season five finale, the group of high-school heroes defied the odds once more to defeat Vecna (Jamie Campbell Bower). It wasn’t quite a happily-ever-after, though, with victory coming at the devastating cost of Eleven (Millie Bobby Brown), who sacrificed herself to save her friends — and the world. Fans are still holding out hope that Eleven isn’t really gone for good, and that we might see our girl again someday.
The Duffer Brothers have since confirmed they’re developing a Stranger Things spin-off, promising it will finally tie up one major loose end — and no, it’s not Eleven’s fate. So what is the timeline for the upcoming spin-off? And what’s happening with the long-rumoured Stranger Things animated series?
Let’s head back to Hawkins and get the tea.
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What is Stranger Things: Tales from ’85 about?
Matt and Ross Duffer, alongside Shawn Levy, are among the executive producers for the animated series, which is set to debut on Netflix in 2026.
According to Matt Duffer, “the idea was kind of to evoke the feeling of an ’80s cartoon.” That nostalgia-forward vision appears to be central to the project, with showrunner Eric Robles adding: “What we’ve been able to capture is the magic of Hawkins in a new way.”
Robles also teased that the series will take place between seasons two and three of Stranger Things. Set in 1985 — as the title subtly suggests — the animated show fills in a previously unexplored chapter of the timeline, with the live-action finale ultimately landing in 1987.
In keeping with its retro inspiration, the tone is expected to be significantly lighter than the main series. Think fewer doom-filled monologues and more Saturday-morning energy: among the villains reportedly terrorising Hawkins are, yes, pumpkin zombies.
While fans still don’t know exactly what went down between seasons two and three, the fact that it didn’t radically alter the core story suggests the stakes here won’t be world-ending. Instead, the series will likely follow a more episodic, monster-of-the-week format — spooky, nostalgic, and a little more playful than its darker predecessor.
Will the original actors voice Stranger Things: Tales from ’85?
Unfortunately, that won’t be the case — but honestly, it’s probably for the best. Thanks to Stranger Things’ famously lengthy production schedule, which spanned nearly a decade, the young cast ended up ageing far faster than their on-screen counterparts, with actors in their 20s still playing 17-year-olds by the end of the series.
Tales From ’85, however, is set between seasons two and three, when the characters are just 14 or 15 years old — and this time, they’ll be voiced by younger actors. Not only does that make far more sense for the timeline, but it also positions the animated series to run for multiple seasons without running into the same age-gap issue.
The voice cast includes Brooklyn Davey Norstedt as Eleven, Jolie Hoang-Rappaport as Max, Luca Diaz as Mike, Ej (Elisha) Williams as Lucas, Braxton Quinney as Dustin, Ben Plessala as Will, and Brett Gipson as Hopper. Additional voice cast members include Odessa A’zion, Janeane Garofalo, and Lou Diamond Phillips.
What do we know about the Stranger Things spin-off?
Courtesy of Netflix