Netflix has ordered a supernatural drama series titled “The Boroughs” that boasts “Stranger Things” creators the Duffer brothers as executive producers, PvNew has learned.
“The Boroughs” hails from co-creators Jeffrey Addiss and Will Matthews. Netflix has given the show an eight-episode order. Per the official logline, “In a seemingly picturesque retirement community in the New Mexico desert, a group of unlikely heroes must band together to stop an otherworldly threat from stealing the one thing they don’t have… time.”
“We’ve been fans of Jeff and Will’s writing for a long time, and when they pitched us their idea for ‘The Boroughs,’ we immediately knew they had something very special on their hands,” the Duffers said. “While the heroes in ‘The Boroughs’ have a few more years on them than the kids from ‘Stranger Things,’ they are a similarly lovable bunch of misfits, and we can’t wait for you to join them on an adventure that is at turns scary, funny, and deeply touching.”
This marks a return to Netflix for Addiss and Matthews, who previously co-created the Netflix series “The Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance,” which aired on the streamer in 2019. Their other credits include the feature “Life in a Year” and the upcoming animated film “The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim.”
They are repped by Verve and Jackoway Austen Tyerman.
“We’re thrilled to be back at Netflix,” Addis and Matthews said. “Working alongside the Duffer Brothers (who are pretty good at making shows) and their team has been a dream come true. They bring the perfect balance of heart and horror to our story. We can’t wait for audiences around the world to unlock the dark mystery buried beneath the sunny facade of ‘The Boroughs.’”
In addition to creating “The Boroughs,” Addis and Matthews will serve as executive producers and showrunners. The Duffers executive produce via Upside Down Pictures along with Hilary Leavitt. Upside Down is currently under an overall deal at Netflix.
This marks the latest project Upside Down has set up at Netflix in recent weeks. Most recently, the company landed a series order for a “Stranger Things” animated series. Netflix announced plans for a live-action “Stranger Things” spinoff series and a stage show in July 2022, with the Duffers forming Upside Down Pictures at that time. No details are available about the live-action spinoff, though the Duffers have previously said it would not focus on characters like Eleven or Steve Harrington. It was revealed in March 2023 that the stage show would take place in Hawkins in 1959 and would debut in London’s West End.
The Duffers are also working on a live-action TV version of the Japanese manga and anime series “Death Note.” The series was previously adapted into a live-action Netflix film in 2017. They are also at work on a series adaptation of Stephen King and Peter Straub’s book “The Talisman” alongside Steven Spielberg’s Amblin Entertainment and Paramount Television.
