'Stranger Things' Producer Doesn't See the Series Expanding Into a Franchise

A certainty that has emerged from successful movies and TV series with definite timelines is that [...]

A certainty that has emerged from successful movies and TV series with definite timelines is that creators will find a way to expand the original story into prequels, sequels, and spinoffs. In the case of Stranger Things, producer Shawn Levy isn't thinking in terms of the "franchise" of the series, and instead is focusing on the series' upcoming seasons.

"The notion of a franchise didn't exist at Netflix before Stranger Things. And we've certainly seen our growth as we move into merchandising, as we move into partnerships, and promotional partnerships," Levy shared with ComicBook.com. "We don't speak of it as franchise. We definitely want to do several more seasons. Beyond that, certainly this has become one of the flagship brands of Netflix. And they would like to see us telling these stories in whatever ways, and for as many years as possible."

The first season surprised audiences everywhere, with the show's blend of horror, sci-fi, and horror debuting on Netflix with a limited promotional campaign. The series' success continued with last year's Season 2, dominating pop culture conversations and setting streaming records.

Despite the series' success, the show's creators, the Duffer Brothers, have an end in sight for the series.

"I just trust these guys. The idea is to do four or five seasons, the Duffers have said, and I feel like, if we can do Season 2, we can do 3, 4 and 5 with no sweat," star David Harbour shared with Collider. "Right now, the world is so open. Hopper, at the end of two, kind of adopts Eleven, and the Upside Down still exists, even though we closed the gate. There's just so much story there, with the tension with Joyce, his adopting of Eleven, and his relationship with all the kids, even the teens, and then you have all of these backstories."

The final season of Game of Thrones will air on HBO next year, yet a spinoff series is being developed. The Harry Potter films came to an end, only for a prequel series of films to emerge. Whatever the future has in store for Stranger Things, an endless supply of stories related to the Upside Down is possible, but currently, there seems to be no plans.

Season 3 of Stranger Things is currently being developed, tentatively debuting on Netflix in 2019.

Do you hope to have an endless supply of Stranger Things stories or is the TV series enough? Let us know in the comments below!

Additional reporting by Scott Huver.

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