The Duffer Brothers and Netflix are a match made in heaven, or should we say the Upside Down, especially after this latest story as Deadline is reporting that the Stranger Things duo are opening a division at Netflix, called Upside Down Pictures.
In the report, Deadline notes that the Duffers will have Hilary Leavitt run Upside Down. She’s a vet of BBC America and MRC, with credits that include Orphan Black, Ozark, The Great, and Shining Girls. She also just ran her Hulu-based Blazer banner.
The reported goal for the new company is to “create the kind of stories that inspired them growing up, stories that take place at that beautiful crossroads where the ordinary meets the extraordinary, where big spectacle co-exists with intimate character work, where heart wins out over cynicism.”
One of the biggest projects announced for Upside Down Pictures is bringing Death Note to life at Netflix. This will be the streamer’s second attempt at the cult classic manga and anime series following 2017’s Death Note movie from Adam Wingard.
Per Deadline, the Death Note series initially focuses on a bright teenager who discovers a mysterious black notebook that gives him supernatural power over life and death, the latter caused by writing a person’s name in the book. The teen becomes intoxicated with power as he decides to cleanse the world of undesirables, as a law enforcement team tries to stop him.
Death Note is seemingly a perfect fit for the Duffers; the filmmakers love teen-focused drama, intense drama, and monsters from other worlds. We could see Death Note done like never before, and that includes the anime, the Japanese films, and the polarizing 2017 film.
The Duffer Brothers’ Upside Down Pictures will also produce an original series from Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance creators Jeffrey Addiss and Will Matthews as well as the previously-announced series adaptation of Stephen King and Peter Straub‘s 1984 novel The Talisman, which sees the Duffers team with Steven Spielberg’s Amblin Entertainment and Paramount Television.
“Matt and Ross are an exceptionally unique talent with a vision so crisp and clear,” said Netflix co-CEO and Chief Content Officer Ted Sarandos. “They are all about the details — it’s no accident that Stranger Things has pierced the zeitgeist to become the epic pop culture phenomenon it is today. We’re excited to continue telling new stories with them as they grow Upside Down Pictures and to welcome Hilary as creative partner.”
The future of Netflix could be in very good hands as they enter their Upside Down-era.
