Stranger Things is getting tips from Game of Thrones on stopping spoilers (good luck with that)

Netflix’s Stranger Things seemingly came out of nowhere last summer and instantly became the Internet’s new favorite show. But that unexpected quality meant the showrunners were able to work on the first season without fear of anyone spoiling the show’s plot beats. Now that it’s a full-fledged phenomenon and fans are desperate for any information they can get, that fear is very real - so the producers have turned to Game of Thrones team for advice on how to keep a tight lid on the Upside Down.

Stranger Things season 2 doesn’t hit the streaming service until Halloween and interest is at an all-time high, so executive producer Shawn Levy told EW that they enlisted the help of some true experts. "We literally consulted with the producers on Game of Thrones to learn security protocols. We had no security protocols last season and we have extensive security protocols this season,” Levy said. “I can't speak about what they are because then people could crack them. We protect every story point, every page of every script.”

Ross Duffer, who created the show with his twin brother Matt, says he used to simply throw away his shooting notes after a day’s filming, but now he has to burn them to ensure they don’t fall into the wrong hands. Things have changed for the cast, too, with star Millie Bobby Brown (who plays Eleven) saying, “Now we have a code name [for the show], and now I have a code name! It’s this weird thing. On the call sheets our names are across it and if we lose it, we’re dead.”

We already know a considerable amount about Stranger Things season 2, but all of that info was purposefully released as part of the network’s marketing strategy. Game of Thrones, on the other hand, has experienced a handful of high-profile leaks over the years, so while HBO is definitely on high alert about keeping spoilers under lock and key, even that show isn’t 100% bulletproof. Let’s just hope the Stranger Things team learns the right lessons and is able to contain their story points so the audience is genuinely surprised by the new season’s twists and turns.

Images: Netflix

Ben Pearson
Ben is an entertainment journalist who has written about movies online for nearly a decade. He loves the Fast & Furious franchise, prefers Indiana Jones to Star Wars, and will defend the ending of Lost until his dying day. He shook Bill Murray's hand once (so he's got that going for him, which is nice). Ben lives in Los Angeles with his wife.