Shawn Levy recently spoke about Stranger Things ahead of the show’s fifth and final season, which will conclude the tale for good. He was instrumental in bringing forth the show on Netflix with his production company, 21 Laps. In his latest interview, Levy detailed his association with the Duffer Brothers, the minds behind Stranger Things. He also spoke about meeting them for the first time and seeing their vision.
Shawn Levy recalls his first meeting with the creators of Stranger Things
The Deadpool & Wolverine director refers to Matt and Ross Duffer simply as “The Brothers,” while they call him “Warlock.” The three of them have collaborated for over a decade, and he has become the mediator during times of trouble.
During a conversation with Variety, Shawn Levy opened up about meeting the Duffer Brothers for the first time. He also divulged how Stranger Things really originated.
“This will definitely be the pull quote, especially if you’ve met them: My first impression was hair twirling and gum fidgeting. Like, literally, the Duffers have signature fidgety habits, and they often involve hair and gum — sometimes bottle caps?” Levy said of his first impression of the Duffer Brothers.
Levy continued, “But I just remember, on the one hand, they were quite internal, young guys. They don’t give themselves away. Yet there is a kinetic, busy energy to their body language. And I remember seeing it on my couch and being really charmed by it.” He added, “They’ve grown and evolved stunningly over the past near-decade.”
The Free Guy director also shared what happened in the first meeting that made him have faith in the brothers’ vision. He explained, “For one thing, sometimes you read something and the tone is so confident, so clear — and that script ‘Montauk’ had it. It was not trying to be anything but itself. It was breaking so many rules with confidence.”
Moreover, Shawn Levy stated, “It was a period piece. It was a show about kids that wasn’t for kids. It was coming-of-age sweetness with horror genre darkness. So it broke all these supposed rules, but it transgressed with such assurance.”
The Adam Project director further revealed that he watched the Duffer Brothers’ movie, Hidden, and it instilled confidence in him. “Which is why we trotted into Netflix not only determined to sell the show, but I backed their dream of directing all of it themselves….There was just a connection there in spite of our personality differences — the overlap was enough for us to bet on each other,” he explained.
Meanwhile, Stranger Things Season 5 premieres its first part on November 26, 2025, on Netflix.
