Originally appeared on E! Online
The Party’s Dungeons & Dragons books are staying on the shelf for now.
Amid theories that “Stranger Things” season five did not actually come to an end with episode eight, the show’s creators Ross Duffer and Matt Duffer shared their honest answer to whether the Netflix series could possibly make a return.
“I feel like this season really, truly does close the door on this story,” Ross told Entertainment Tonight in an interview published Jan. 2, “on the story of Hawkins, and the story of the Upside Down and the story of these characters.”
However, that doesn’t mean revisiting the original characters — including Mike (played by Finn Wolfhard), Will (Noah Schnapp), Max (Sadie Sink), Lucas (Caleb McLaughlin) and Dustin (Gaten Matarazzo) — is totally out of the question in the future.
As Ross quipped, “I guess never say never.”
“[Maybe] in 20 years, if we’re all broke and need some money [and] we’ve all talked about it,” the director added, noting that the idea is his and Matt’s “safety net.”
PHOTOS The Love Lives of Stranger Things Stars
And while fans may be disappointed that it’s officially time to say goodbye to the Upside Down, the Duffer Brothers’ decision to step away from the story has plenty of support from the cast.
“If there’s a story when we’re all in very, very different stages of our lives, maybe,” Wolfhard told Entertainment Tonight of coming back for more episodes. “But I think that the whole point of the show ending is because it’s run its course.”
And Netflix echoed those feelings, putting an end to an online theory — dubbed “Conformity Gate” — that speculated there would be a surprise ninth episode released on Jan. 7.
Indeed, following the rumors, the streaming platform changed the bios for the official “Stranger Things” social media accounts on Jan. 7 to read, “ALL EPISODES OF STRANGER THINGS ARE NOW PLAYING.”
Of course, the door to other stories in the “Stranger Things” Universe isn’t completely closed. In addition to a documentary titled “One Last Adventure,” chronicling the making of season five, set to be released on Netflix Jan. 12, the Duffer Brothers previously shared that there are two more related projects in the works, one of which is a live-action spinoff that will explore what exactly happened to Henry Creel in the cave.
“The spinoff is going to delve into that and explain that, and you’re going to understand it,” Matt told Variety in an interview published Jan. 1. “But it’s a completely different mythology.”
He added, “It’s very fresh and very new, but yes, it will answer some of the loose threads that are remaining.”
Mike Gavin of NBC Local asks cast members from “Stranger Things” — including Caleb McLaughlin, Maya Hawke and Jamie Campbell Bower — to pick their characters’ best looks.
