Netflix announces 'Stranger Things' spin-off to help build a franchise

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  Millie Bobby Brown as Eleven in 'Stranger Things'. All photos: Netflix

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  From left: Nancy Wheeler (Natalia Dyer), Dustin Henderson (Gaten Matarazzo), Steve Harrington (Joe Keery), Eddie Munson (Joseph Quinn), Robin Buckley (Maya Hawke), Erica Sinclair (Priah Ferguson), Max Mayfield (Sadie Sink) and Lucas Sinclair (Caleb McLaughlin).

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  Sink and McLaughlin in volume two. One of the more pressing questions from the latest season would be if any key characters would die.

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  The first volume of season four ended on a cliffhanger but also revealed the origins of Vecna, the main villain introduced at the start of the season.

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  One of the noticeable absents from this season has been of the Mind Flayer, the villainous creature in seasons two and three. Many fans are theorising it could return in the second part of season four.

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  A new trailer for part two of season four has been viewed more than four million times within hours of its debut.

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  The second volume of 'Stranger Things' season four will have two episodes.

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  The second volume of season four will be available to stream from Netflix on July 1.

Netflix has announced it is developing a spin-off of science fiction series Stranger Things, as the streaming service works to build its biggest English-language hit into a broad entertainment franchise.

The new series will be based on an idea by Matt and Ross Duffer, the twins who created the original show, Netflix said in a statement on Wednesday. No details on the story or characters were provided.

Netflix also announced a stage play set in the world of Stranger Things.

The supernatural thriller starring Winona Ryder and David Harbour has set viewing records for Netflix, surpassing the Regency-era drama Bridgerton as the platform's most-watched English-language show.

Stranger Things reverberated through the cultural zeitgeist when it made its debut in 2016 and turned Millie Bobby Brown, who was 12 at the time, into a global 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.

The fourth season concluded with the final two episodes last week, briefly crashing the Netflix app as fans rushed to view them. The series has logged 1.15 billion hours of viewing time on Netflix, behind only South Korean drama Squid Game.

"One of the reasons why Stranger Things has really broken out in the way that it has is that there's a universality at the centre of it," said Matthew Thunell, the Netflix vice president who first read the script and advocated for the series. "It really is about the strength of friendship, how friendship triumphs over evil."

The series is the first Netflix sought to develop as a traditional entertainment franchise, whose characters and stories traverse film, television, games and consumer products. Its popularity took Netflix by surprise — "candidly we could never have predicted what Stranger Things has become," said Thunell.

As the show's audience expanded beyond science-fiction fans to include adults captivated by its 1980s pop culture references, Netflix began contemplating ways to extend the story through spin-offs and merchandise.

That resulted in a range of Stranger Things tie-ins, such as a Surfer Boy pineapple and jalapeno frozen pizza at Walmart and a Magic 8 ball toy from Hasbro. Fans have also been able to participate in mock sleep studies at a Hawkins National Laboratory attraction in New York, San Francisco and London.

"We're starting from scratch and so it gives us a lot of freedom to be innovative and try new things," said Josh Simon, Netflix's vice president of consumer products.

The new series is part of a production deal with the Duffer brothers, who will also develop a live-action TV adaptation of Japanese manga and anime series Death Note, among other projects.

Scroll the gallery below to see how the young actors have changed since season one

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  Millie Bobby Brown in season one and season four. She's often described her role as Eleven on the show as 'life-changing'. All photos: Netflix

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  Finn Wolfhard in season one and season four. Wolfhard has said in the past how he almost gave up on acting before landing the gig on 'Stranger Things'.

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  Noah Schnapp in season one and season four. Although he has limited-speaking role as his character goes missing for the majority in the first season, he has become a major character on the show since.

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  Gaten Matarazzo in season one and season four. He acted on Broadway, doing stage work, before being cast on 'Stranger Things'.

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  Caleb McLaughlin in season one and season four. 'I always knew [Stranger Things] was going to be great,' he told 'Teen Vogue' in the past.

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  Sadie Sink in season two and season four. She's described in past interviews about how her life totally changed after being cast on the show as Max Mayfield.

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  Natalia Dyer in season one and season four. Since 'Stranger Things', she can be seen in 2019's satrical horror film 'Velvet Buzzsaw' and the comedy-drama 'Yes, God, Yes'.

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  Joe Keery in season one and season four. Keery first auditioned for the role of Jonathan Byers but was instead offered the part of Steve Harrington on the show.

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  Charlie Heaton in season one and season four. Although the British actor acted in small roles for ITV and BBC, he's since appeared in Marvel's 'The New Mutants' in 2020.