Matt and Ross Duffer | |
---|---|
Born | Durham, North Carolina, U.S. | February 15, 1984
Education | Chapman University (BFA) |
Occupations |
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Years active | 2005–present |
Known for | |
Spouse | (Ross) |
Children | 1 (Matt) |
Matt Duffer and Ross Duffer (born February 15, 1984), often credited as the Duffer Brothers, are American film and television writers, directors, and producers. They are best known as the creators, directors and executive producers of the hit Netflix science fiction horror drama series Stranger Things . They also wrote and directed the 2015 psychological horror film Hidden , and wrote and produced episodes for the Fox mystery-science fiction series Wayward Pines .
They are identical twin brothers and have had a close relationship since childhood. They work on all their projects as a pair. [1]
After the brothers had written and directed several short films, their script for the post-apocalyptic horror film Hidden was acquired by Warner Bros. Pictures in 2011. [2] The brothers would go on to direct the film Hidden, which was released in 2015. Next the Duffer brothers were hired as writers/producers for the Fox television series Wayward Pines .
With experience in television, they began pitching their idea for Stranger Things , which Dan Cohen eventually brought to Shawn Levy. Backed by Levy's 21 Laps production company, the show was quickly picked up by Netflix. [3] [4] The show is set in 1980s Indiana and is an homage to 1980s pop culture, [5] inspired and aesthetically informed by the works of Steven Spielberg, John Carpenter, Wes Craven, Sam Raimi, David Lynch, Stephen King, and George Lucas, among others. [6] [7]
It was released on July 15, 2016, to overwhelming praise, [8] specifically for its characterization, pacing, atmosphere, acting, soundtrack, directing, writing, and homages to 1980s genre films. It began to develop a cult following online. [9] Review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes gave the series an approval rating of 95%, based on 82 reviews, with a weighted average score of 7.96/10. The site's critical consensus states, "Exciting, heartbreaking, and sometimes scary, Stranger Things acts as an addictive homage to Spielberg films and vintage 1980s television." [10]
On September 30, 2019, Netflix announced they had signed the Duffers for additional films and television shows over the coming years. [11]
In March 2021, the duo announced they will team up with Spielberg to adapt Stephen King's and Peter Straub's The Talisman as a Netflix series. They will both be executive producers via Amblin Partners and Monkey Massacre and have hired Curtis Gwinn, who worked as a writer-executive producer on Stranger Things, to act as writer and showrunner of the project. [12]
Following the premiere of the fourth season of Stranger Things in July 2022, the Duffers launched the production company Upside Down Pictures, for which they recommitted to Netflix with several new projects. Among these include a live-action series adaptation of Death Note and a series adaptation of The Talisman, in addition to their follow-up series to Stranger Things. [13]
In October of 2023, Ross Duffer was one of many working in the film and television industry that signed the open letter to President Joe Biden posted on the website, nohostageleftbehind.com thanking him for his "unshakeable moral conviction" in supporting Israel with military funding and aid and petitioning the President to secure the release of more Israeli hostages. [14] [15]
The Duffer Brothers were born and raised in Durham, North Carolina, the sons of Ann M. Christensen and Allen P. Duffer. [16] They began making films in the third grade, using a Hi8 video camera that was a gift from their parents. They attended the Duke School for Children from grades K-8, a private suburban school, and then the Charles E. Jordan High School, a large Durham public school. They relocated to Orange, California, to study film at Chapman University's Dodge College of Film and Media Arts, where they graduated in 2007. [3] [17] Matt has one child; Winona Ryder is the godmother. [18]
This section needs additional citations for verification .(March 2024) |
Year | Title | Credited as | Notes | ||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Directors | Writers | Producers | |||
2005 | We All Fall Down | Yes | Yes | No | Short films |
2007 | Eater | Yes | Yes | Yes | |
2009 | Abraham's Boys | No | Yes | Yes | |
Road to Moloch | No | Yes | No | ||
2012 | Vessel | No | Yes | No | |
2015 | Hidden | Yes | Yes | No | Debut feature film Completed in 2012, received limited release in 2015 [19] |
Year | Title | Credit | Notes |
---|---|---|---|
2006 | The Big Toe | Editors | Short films |
2008 | The Milkman | Actors: Officer (Matt Duffer); Drive-by thug (Ross Duffer) | |
Saturday Night at Norm's | Producers | ||
2014 | Honeymoon | Special thanks | |
2021 | Fear Street Part One: 1994 | ||
Fear Street Part Two: 1978 | |||
Fear Street Part Three: 1666 | |||
2024 | Dust Monster | Animated Short film |
Year | Title | Credited as | Notes | |||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Directors | Writers | Executive Producers | Creators | |||
2015–2016 | Wayward Pines | No | Yes | Co-Executive | No | Wrote 4 episodes |
2016– | Stranger Things | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Directed 19 episodes Wrote 16 episodes |
Year | Award | Category | Nominated work | Result | Ref. |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
2016 | American Film Institute Award | Top 10 TV Programs of the Year | Stranger Things | Won | [20] |
Critics' Choice Television Award | Best Drama Series | Stranger Things | Nominated | [21] [22] | |
Most Bingeworthy Show | Stranger Things | Nominated | |||
2017 | American Film Institute Award | Top 10 TV Programs of the Year | Stranger Things | Won | [23] |
Bram Stoker Award | Best Screenplay | Stranger Things for "Chapter One: The Vanishing of Will Byers" | Nominated | [24] | |
Stranger Things for "Chapter Eight: The Upside Down" | Nominated | ||||
Superior Achievement in a Screenplay | Stranger Things for "Chapter Two: MADMAX" | Nominated | [25] | ||
British Academy Television Award | Best International Programme | Stranger Things | Nominated | [26] | |
Directors Guild of America Award | Outstanding Directing – Drama Series | Stranger Things for "Chapter One: The Vanishing of Will Byers" | Nominated | [27] | |
Dorian Award | TV Drama of the Year | Stranger Things | Nominated | [28] | |
Dragon Award | Best Science Fiction or Fantasy TV Series | Stranger Things | Won | [29] | |
Empire Award | Best TV Series | Stranger Things | Nominated | [30] | |
Fangoria Chainsaw Award | Best TV Series | Stranger Things | Won | [31] | |
Golden Globe Award | Best Television Series – Drama | Stranger Things | Nominated | [32] | |
Hugo Award | Best Dramatic Presentation | Stranger Things for season 1 of Stranger Things | Nominated | [33] | |
MTV Movie & TV Award | Best Show | Stranger Things | Won | [34] | |
National Television Award | Best Period Drama | Stranger Things | Nominated | [35] | |
NME Award | Best TV Series | Stranger Things | Nominated | [36] | |
People's Choice Award | Favorite TV Show | Stranger Things | Nominated | [37] | |
Primetime Emmy Award | Outstanding Directing for a Drama Series | Stranger Things for "Chapter One: The Vanishing of Will Byers" | Nominated | [38] | |
Outstanding Drama Series | Stranger Things | Nominated | |||
Outstanding Writing for a Drama Series | Stranger Things for "Chapter One: The Vanishing of Will Byers" | Nominated | |||
Producers Guild of America Award | Best Episodic Drama | Stranger Things | Won | [39] | |
Satellite Award | Best Television Series – Genre | Stranger Things | Nominated | [40] | |
Saturn Award | Best New Media Television Series | Stranger Things | Won [lower-alpha 1] | [41] [42] | |
Shorty Award | Best TV Show | Stranger Things | Nominated | [43] | |
TCA Award | Outstanding Achievement in Drama | Stranger Things | Nominated | [44] | |
Outstanding New Program | Stranger Things | Nominated | |||
Program of the Year | Stranger Things | Nominated | |||
Teen Choice Award | Choice Breakout Series | Stranger Things | Nominated | [45] | |
Choice Fantasy/Sci-Fi Series | Stranger Things | Nominated | |||
Writers Guild of America Award | Television: Dramatic Series | Stranger Things | Nominated | [46] | |
Television: New Series | Stranger Things | Nominated | |||
2018 | Critics' Choice Television Award | Best Drama Series | Stranger Things | Nominated | [47] |
Directors Guild of America Award | Outstanding Directing – Drama Series | Stranger Things for "Chapter Nine: The Gate" | Nominated | [48] | |
Empire Award | Best TV Series | Stranger Things | Nominated | [49] | |
Golden Globe Award | Best Television Series – Drama | Stranger Things | Nominated | [50] | |
MTV Movie & TV Award | Best Show | Stranger Things | Won | [51] | |
Nickelodeon Kids' Choice Award | Favorite TV Show | Stranger Things | Won | [52] | |
NME Award | Best TV Series | Stranger Things | Won | [53] | |
Primetime Emmy Award | Outstanding Directing for a Drama Series | Stranger Things for "Chapter Nine: The Gate" | Nominated | [54] | |
Outstanding Drama Series | Stranger Things | Nominated | |||
Outstanding Writing for a Drama Series | Stranger Things for "Chapter Nine: The Gate" | Nominated | |||
Producers Guild of America Award | Best Episodic Drama | Stranger Things | Nominated | [55] | |
Satellite Award | Best Television Series – Genre | Stranger Things | Nominated | [56] | |
Saturn Award | Best New Media Television Series | Stranger Things | Nominated | [57] | |
Teen Choice Award | Choice Fantasy/Sci-Fi Series | Stranger Things | Nominated | [58] | |
Writers Guild of America Award | Television: Dramatic Series | Stranger Things | Nominated | [59] | |
2019 | Grammy Award | Best Compilation Soundtrack for Visual Media | Stranger Things | Nominated | [60] |
Nickelodeon Kids' Choice Award | Favorite TV Drama | Stranger Things | Nominated | [61] | |
People's Choice Awards | Bingeworthy Show of 2019 | Stranger Things | Nominated | [62] | |
Drama Show of 2019 | Stranger Things | Won | |||
Sci-Fi/Fantasy Show of 2019 | Stranger Things | Nominated | |||
Show of 2019 | Stranger Things | Won | |||
Saturn Award | Best Streaming Horror & Thriller Series | Stranger Things | Won | [63] | |
Teen Choice Award | Choice Summer TV Show | Stranger Things | Won | [64] | |
2020 | Satellite Award | Best Genre Series | Stranger Things | Won | [65] |
Primetime Emmy Award | Outstanding Drama Series | Stranger Things | Nominated | [66] | |
David Kenneth Harbour is an American actor. He has played supporting roles in films such as Brokeback Mountain (2005), Awake (2007), Revolutionary Road (2008), State of Play (2009), W.E. (2011), A Walk Among the Tombstones (2014), Black Mass (2015), Suicide Squad (2016), Sleepless (2017), No Sudden Move (2021), and Gran Turismo (2023), and starring roles as the title character in Hellboy (2019) and Santa Claus in Violent Night (2022); in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU), Harbour has played Red Guardian in the film Black Widow (2021), Thunderbolts* (2025) and the animated series What If...? (2025).
Stranger Things is an American science fiction horror drama television series created by the Duffer Brothers for Netflix. Produced by Monkey Massacre Productions and 21 Laps Entertainment, the first season was released on Netflix on July 15, 2016. The second and third seasons followed in October 2017 and July 2019 respectively, and the fourth season was released in two parts in May and July 2022. In February 2022, Stranger Things was renewed for a fifth and final season, which is expected to be released in 2025.
Charles Ross Heaton is an English actor and musician. He is known for starring as Jonathan Byers in the Netflix science fiction horror series Stranger Things (2016–present) and for his roles in feature films like As You Are (2016), Marrowbone (2017), The New Mutants (2020), No Future (2021), and The Souvenir Part II (2021). Prior to his acting career, Heaton played in a number of London-based bands.
Millie Bobby Brown is a British actress. She gained recognition for playing Eleven in the Netflix science fiction series Stranger Things (2016–present), for which she received nominations for two Primetime Emmy Awards. Brown has starred in the monster film Godzilla: King of the Monsters (2019) and its sequel Godzilla vs. Kong (2021). She also starred in and produced the Netflix films Enola Holmes (2020), its 2022 sequel, and Damsel (2024).
Finn Wolfhard is a Canadian actor and musician. He is known for playing Mike Wheeler on the Netflix series Stranger Things (2016–present). He also played the roles of Richie Tozier in the horror film It (2017) and its sequel It Chapter Two (2019), and has starred in the supernatural comedy Ghostbusters: Afterlife (2021) and its sequel Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire (2024).
WilliamByers is a fictional character from the American science fiction horror drama television series Stranger Things. He is portrayed by Noah Schnapp. The character appeared in a recurring capacity in the first season before being promoted to the main cast in the second season.
Caleb Reginald McLaughlin is an American actor. He gained international recognition for playing Lucas Sinclair in the Netflix series Stranger Things (2016–present). McLaughlin began his career playing Young Simba in the Broadway musical The Lion King, followed by small roles in television. After his breakthrough with Stranger Things, he appeared in the films High Flying Bird (2019) and Concrete Cowboy (2020), his first starring role in a feature film. His work also includes the miniseries The New Edition Story (2017) and several television voice acting roles.
Sadie Elizabeth Sink is an American actress. She began acting at age seven in local theater productions and played the title role in Annie (2012–14) and young Elizabeth II in The Audience (2015) on Broadway. In 2016, she made her film debut in the biographical sports drama Chuck.
The first season of the American science fiction horror drama television series Stranger Things premiered worldwide on the streaming service Netflix on July 15, 2016. The series was created by the Duffer Brothers, who also serve as executive producers along with Shawn Levy and Dan Cohen.
The Stranger Things original soundtracks are composed by Kyle Dixon and Michael Stein of the electronic band Survive. They make extensive use of synthesizers in homage to 1980s artists and film composers including Jean-Michel Jarre, Tangerine Dream, Vangelis, Goblin, John Carpenter, Giorgio Moroder, and Fabio Frizzi.
The second season of the science fiction television series Stranger Things, marketed as Stranger Things 2, was released worldwide on the streaming service Netflix on October 27, 2017. The series was created by the Duffer Brothers, who also serve as executive producers along with Shawn Levy, Dan Cohen and Iain Paterson.
The third season of the American science fiction horror television series Stranger Things, marketed as Stranger Things 3, was released worldwide on the streaming service Netflix on July 4, 2019. The series was created by the Duffer Brothers, who also serve as executive producers along with Shawn Levy, Dan Cohen and Iain Paterson.
The fourth season of the American science fiction horror drama television series Stranger Things, marketed as Stranger Things 4, was released worldwide on the streaming service Netflix in two volumes. The first set of seven episodes was released on May 27, 2022, while the second set of two episodes was released on July 1, 2022. The season was produced by the show's creators the Duffer Brothers, along with Shawn Levy, Dan Cohen, Iain Paterson and Curtis Gwinn.