Netflix chief addresses Duffer Brothers and Shawn Levy departures
Netflix chief executive Ted Sarandos has addressed the exit of the two creative forces behind Stranger Things.
Matt and Ross Duffer are leaving for Paramount. Long-time producer Shawn Levy is heading to Disney.
The Duffers announced last August they would join Paramount under a four-year exclusive deal covering film and TV, and completed the switch in April, according to The Hollywood Reporter. Sarandos said the pair had worked with Netflix for a decade and did not want to make more television right now. They want to make big tentpole films for the theatre, meaning large-budget cinema releases built to anchor a studio slate, and he encouraged them to try.
Matt Duffer said the main appeal was the chance to do something theatrical, “which is not something Netflix does.” Sarandos was clear on ownership. Netflix still owns the Stranger Things franchise, and he said its universe will continue to be part of the organisation’s success.
Levy’s move ends almost ten years at Netflix, where he has been based since 2017. He has signed an overall deal with Disney’s 20th Television, meaning that studio gets first call on his new TV ideas, through his 21 Laps Entertainment production company starting next October. Levy said he had always felt a kindred spirit in Disney and its storytelling ethos and described the studio as feeling like home.
Sarandos suggested Levy also wanted to focus on large-scale cinema. Levy is directing the upcoming Star Wars: Starfighter for Lucasfilm, and Sarandos said he will be making Star Wars films for a while after that. An overall deal with someone who has commitments elsewhere creates constant conflict for time, Sarandos said, so Levy’s Disney agreement made sense.
The split is not clean. Netflix still has shows in development with Levy, including an upcoming hockey drama titled Sticks. Netflix keeps the show.
For fans, this means the names change but the address does not. The creators who launched the series are moving to cinemas and other studios, while the franchise they built stays at Netflix.
