‘Stranger Things’ Creators Sued

One of the biggest talking points among those who have seen Stranger Things is how many iconic stories and filmmakers it emulates with its sci-fi story set in the ’80s. A new lawsuit alleges that creators Matt and Ross Duffer did much more than pay homage to genre greats, but actually lifted the entire concept from the short film Montauk.

Charlie Kessler has filed the lawsuit against the Duffer Brothers that his 2012 short film, which featured the government conducting secret experiments, was the impetus for the creation of Stranger Things. The filmmaker is seeking “destruction of all materials that were allegedly ripped off from his concept.” Neither the Duffer Brothers nor Netflix have offered any comments on the matter.

On the surface, it might not seem like Kessler has much grounds for the lawsuit, given how many films and TV series involve narratives featuring secret government projects, but specific details that connect him to the Duffers offer a different story. Kessler purports that he showed the brothers his short at the Tribeca Film Festival in 2014, pitching them a TV series based on the concept entitled “The Montauk Project.”

While “Stranger Things” has become a recognizable brand, the series was initially conceived with the title “Montauk,” with the events taking place in Montauk, Long Island before the setting was changed to Hawkins, Indiana. Netflix even referred to the series by its original name when early press releases about the series were released.

Both the short film and Stranger Things are loosely inspired by the same theories surrounding government projects taking place in Long Island, so Kessler might not have grounds to pursue the lawsuit until further evidence can confirm the similarities in the two projects.

Production on the third season of the series is currently underway, with one of the series’ directors, Shawn Levy, confirming some details about what fans can expect.

“We did see at the end of episode nine that the Shadow Monster is still lurking in the Upside Down…and he is determined to find a way to achieve his goals,” Levy confirmed with Variety. “The dogs didn’t get it done in Season 3, so he’s gonna need…he’s gonna have some new strategies.”

The setting of Season 3 is reported to be the summer of 1985. The next season is slated to debut sometime in 2019.

Do you think the filmmaker’s claims are valid? Let us know in the comments below!

[H/T TMZ]