Duffer Brothers sign exclusive four-year pact with Paramount

The Duffer Brothers, the entering force behind Stranger Things, have signed an exclusive four-year pact with Paramount that will shift their creative home from Netflix to the studio led by David Ellison’s Skydance. The deal, which begins after the brothers’ Netflix agreement ends in April 2026, covers feature films, television, and streaming projects developed through their Upside Down Pictures banner. The arrangement also reunites them with Paramount executives who helped launch Stranger Things, and signals Paramount’s intensified push to secure marquee talent for its broader, hybrid slate that blends big-screen ambitions with streaming and television.

Under the terms of the deal, Matt and Ross Duffer will write, produce, and direct projects across Paramount Pictures, Paramount Television, and Paramount Direct-to-Consumer, with their Upside Down Pictures partner Hilary Leavitt at the helm. The pact also formalizes their ongoing involvement with existing Stranger Things projects at Netflix, while giving Paramount full access to develop new material for its platforms and theaters. The Duffers expressed excitement about joining a studio with a storied legacy and highlighted the...