Netflix has decided to develop a ‘spin-off’ of the successful series ‘Stranger Things’ to extend its greatest success in the English language to an entertainment franchise, with more than 1.15 billion hours of viewing time, sOnly surpassed for the moment by the Korean ‘The Squid Game’, reports Reuters.
The new series will be based on an original idea by Matt and Ross Duffer, the twins who created ‘Stranger Things,’ according to the company, which also working on a play set in the world of Hawking.
The supernatural thriller starring Winona Ryder and David Harbor has already broken the audience record set by the premiere of the last season of ‘Bridgerton’, another phenomenon on the platform.
‘Stranger Things’ debuted in 2016 and made Millie Bobby Brown, then 12, a star. The most recent season propelled Kate Bush’s song “Running Up That Hill” to the top of the iTunes and Spotify charts 37 years after its original release, confirming its ability to viralize content.
The secret of success
“One of the reasons why ‘Stranger Things‘ has really unleashed the way it has is that there’s a universality at the core,” says Matthew Thunell, the vice president of Netflix who first read the script and took a chance on the series. “It’s really about the strength of friendship, how friendship triumphs over evil.”
The series is the first that Netflix is seeking to develop as a traditional entertainment franchise, whose characters and stories cut across film, television, games and consumer products. Its popularity took Netflix by surprise: “Honestly, we never could have predicted what ‘Stranger Things’ has become,” Thunell reflects.
As the show’s audience expanded beyond the so-called nerds genre or science fiction fans, to include adults captivated by its references to 1980s pop culture, Netflix began to contemplate ways to extend the story through spin-offs and merchandise.
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That resulted in a variety of ‘Stranger Things’ tie-ins including a Frozen Surfer Boy Pineapple Jalapeno Pizza at Walmart and a Magic 8 ball toy from Hasbro. Fans were also able to participate in simulated sleep studies at a Hawkins National Laboratory attraction in New York, San Francisco and London.
The new series is part of a production deal with the Duffers, who will also develop a live-action television adaptation of the Japanese manga and anime series ‘Death Note,'” among other projects.