Stranger Things creators say "the book is closed" on Eleven, Will and co's storyline, insist future live-action spin-offs won't link to Hawkins: "We've said everything we want to say"

(Image credit: Netflix)

It sounds as though Stranger Things season 5 will really be the last we see of Hawkins and its residents, as series creators Ross and Matt Duffer say no future spin-offs will revisit the gang – or the Upside Down, for that matter.

"This really is the end of the story of Eleven and Mike and Lucas and Dustin and Steve and all these characters, and Hawkins specifically," said Ross Duffer in an interview with SFX magazine. Co-creator Matt Duffer adds, "There’s not really anything else worth exploring. The book is closed, and the ending wouldn’t be very impactful if we left it cracked open for some sort of sequel."

But what if the cast wants to reconnect in the future and create special reunion episodes, or even another season? Well, Ross Duffer has the answer to that. "You don’t want to do something in 20 years where a bunch of characters are like, ‘Oh, we better get Mike back, he knew how to handle this!' That’s not what we’re interested in. We’re being very careful to make sure nothing that we’re doing is going to step on that."

Matt Duffer adds, "I would joke with our cast that in 20 years, if our careers have really floundered, if we need a paycheque, we can always crawl back, like another rift has opened in the Upside Down." But, it doesn't sound as though that will ever happen, as the creator insisted, "We’ve said everything we want to say about those characters and the Upside Down."

However, that doesn't mean that the team has ruled out all Stranger Things spin-offs, as animated series Stranger Things: Tales From '85 is well on the way. Eric Robles serves as showrunner on the upcoming show, which takes place in Hawkins in the winter of 1985, "where the original characters must fight new monsters and unravel a paranormal mystery terrorizing their town," as reads the official synopsis.

When asked about the animation, Matt replied, "Ross and I just grew up watching the Beetlejuice cartoon and Real Ghostbusters, and these cartoons that were based on movies that we had loved." The Duffer brothers add that the cartoon will feature younger versions of the OG characters, and is aimed at a younger audience "who might not be permitted to watch" the live-action show. Ross adds, "It’s fun because you get to see them as little kids again, but it’s not really again."