Stranger Things creators debunk major fan theory about show’s ending

The Duffer Brothers commented: ‘That is not how we’re going to end the show’

Stranger Things creators Matt and Ross Duffer have shot down one of the most popular theories about how their hit Netflix series will end.

The upcoming fifth series of the sci-fi show will be its last.

However, during an interview with Metro in London to promote the new Stranger Things stage production, Matt Duffer responded with a laugh to the suggestion that all the events in the series might turn out to simply be a very elaborate game of Dungeons and Dragons.

“That is correct. That is the ending…,” he joked. “No.”

His brother Ross added: “That would be the equivalent of, ‘That’s all a dream.’ No, I assure you that is not how we’re going to end the show. We’ve known where we’ve been going for a while. And we feel comfortable with it; hopefully, it satisfies everyone. We’ll see.”

While the Hollywood strikes delayed the production of Stranger Things’ fifth season, filming is now slated to begin in January.

Set in the Eighties in the fictional small town of Hawkins, Indiana, the show follows a group of young people as they learn of the existence of a hostile alternate dimension known as the Upside Down. The ensemble cast includes the likes of Winona Ryder, David Harbour, Finn Wolfhard and Millie Bobby Brown.

Stranger Things creators the Duffer Brothers (Netflix/PA)

Netflix has fast-tracked the final season’s production since the strikes, out of a concern that the young cast, who play high school students, don’t age any more than they already have.

In a four-star review of Stranger Things: The First Shadow for The Independent, theatre critic Alice Saville praised the: “humungous projections, big musical score [and] onslaught of foam, dry ice and flares” and said the “big-budget stage play from the Stranger Things universe spares no bombastic effect to bring new audiences flocking to the West End.”

When the fourth season of the television show debuted on Netflix last year, it also earned a four-star review from The Independent’s Amanda Whiting, who wrote: “Given the pressure Netflix is under, the streamer needs Stranger Things season four to be a hit. It’s already been revealed via trailers that Hopper isn’t actually dead, which feels like a lame way to help the show along. And really, they needn’t be bothered. If you liked Stranger Things before, you’ll like it again this time around. Formulaic TV works when the formula is this good.”