Sometimes truth is stranger than science fiction.
We’ve been keeping you up to date on a lawsuit filed against Matt and Ross Duffer, the creators of Netflix megahit Stranger Things.
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Just a couple weeks ago we got a scary update — the case was going to trial, and there was a very real possibility the next season or MORE of the show could get spoiled in all the material which would be released in legal docs.
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Well, we have good news for Stranger fans, but first a little background…
The suit was first filed back in early 2018 by a filmmaker named Charlie Kessler.
The sci fi writer-director made a short film called The Montauk Project about a small town called Montauk, New York, in which government experiments caused all sorts of, well, strange things.
What does this paranormal premise have to do with the cultural phenomenon we all know?
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Well, the Duffer Brothers originally sold the concept of the show under the name Montauk — and it was intended to be set in Montauk, New York.
Moreover, Kessler claimed he met with the Duffers at the Tribeca Film Festival in 2014 with the idea of making his Montauk into a TV show.
The thing is, Montauk is a real place — one which conspiracy theorists believe really was a testing ground for military experiments. There are lots of science fiction stories about it, from the ’80s on.
That may be why the Duffers eventually decided to make their own town called Hawkins, Indiana — so the mythology they invented would be seen as its own thing.
And the characters on the show, the retro setting and feel, the upside-down and the demogorgon — none of that was in Kessler’s pitch.
So frankly we were surprised when the court let the case move to trial, but we guess they thought there was enough evidence of Kessler and the Duffers reaching some sort of verbal agreement…
But that’s just what happened, and it looked bad for Netflix, the Duffers, and Stranger Things fans — the trial was set to begin Tuesday, and it was likely that many upcoming plot points were going to be spoiled through the release of behind-the-scenes materials like the show bible. The judge even refused to seal everything! Such suspense!
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However, at the last minute, like Eleven coming in with her telekinetic powers, the threat was averted.
After weeks of both sides conducting depositions to put into evidence, Kessler shocked by dropping his suit completely!
In a statement, the former plaintiff explained:
“After hearing the deposition testimony this week of the legal expert I hired, it is now apparent to me that, whatever I may have believed in the past, my work had nothing to do with the creation of Stranger Things. Documents from 2010 and 2013 prove that the Duffers independently created their show. As a result, I have withdrawn my claim and I will be making no further comment on this matter.”
Hmm. Is there more to it?
Kessler didn’t mention a settlement, but the conspiracy theorist in us can’t help but wonder if Netflix decided to open its checkbook to shut this thing down.
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After Kessler made his statement, Netflix immediately responded with one of their own:
“We are glad to be able to put this baseless lawsuit behind us. As we have said all along, Stranger Things is a ground-breaking original creation by The Duffer Brothers. We are proud of this show and of our friends Matt and Ross, whose artistic vision gave life to Stranger Things, and whose passion, imagination and relentless hard work alongside our talented cast and crew made it a wildly successful, award-winning series beloved by viewers around the world.”
What do YOU think? Was Kessler paid off to walk away?
And is that all he was after in the first place??
[Image via Netflix/YouTube.]
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