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Stranger Things was originally envisioned as R-rated

January 23, 2017 by Robert Kojder

Netflix hit the jackpot with Stranger Things. It’s a show with mass appeal that has garnered heavy comparisons to the early films of Steven Spielberg. However, things were originally intended to be much darker.

In an interview with Vulture, show creators The Duffer Brothers touched on this, with Ross saying: “The Eleven character, the kind of powers she has and to have a young protagonist that’s violent — it’s not E.T. It’s not a happy situation. She’s killing people, and brutally murdering them,” and Matt adding “The original pilot was much more violent. It was originally like an R-rated thing. Winona Ryder’s character was like, ‘Eff this, eff that!’ It felt a little bit unnecessary. I don’t feel like we sacrificed anything by toning it down a little bit”.

SEE ALSO: Shawn Levy talks Stranger Things season 2

Ross also gave a brief tease for season two, stating that: “This gateway to another dimension is still open, so that’s not a good thing. Will was in another dimension for a while, so he may not be quite up to par. Those are the two things that are gonna kick-start us moving forward.”

The second season of Stranger Things is in production now and sees the return of cast members Winona Ryder, David Harbour, Millie Bobbie Brown, Gaten Matarazzo, Caleb McLaughlin, Finn Wolfhard, Noah Schnapp, Charlie Heaton, Natalia Dyer and Joe Keery. Look for it on Netflix in 2017.

Originally published January 23, 2017. Updated April 16, 2018.

Filed Under: News, Robert Kojder, Television Tagged With: Stranger Things

About Robert Kojder

Robert Kojder is Chief Film Critic at Flickering Myth. He is a Rotten Tomatoes–approved critic and a member of the Chicago Film Critics Association, Critics Choice Association, and Online Film Critics Society.

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