Though the curtain may be closed on Stranger Things now that its finale aired on January 1st of 2026, it seems that the relationship between Gaten Matarazzo and Joe Keery is proving to be more complicated to conclude than the Upside Down. In the weeks since the emotional finale of the series aired, it seems that the two men behind Dustin Henderson and Steve Harrington have made it clear that their on-screen spark is not something they are ready to finish just yet.
What’s striking about the tease is what it isn’t. This isn’t a Marvel rumor, a Stranger Things expansion announcement, or a nostalgia trip reunion. What’s striking about it is that Matarazzo and Keery have been very deliberate about positioning their interest in something fresh and organic to their own process and cycles rather than within the world of Hawkins. After a near-decade of growing up together on one of the biggest shows in television history, it seems that these two are determined to find a project that matches up with where they are, rather than where people remember them.
Lightning in a bottle, without the Upside Down
At a PaleyLive Stranger Things: The Final Season fan event, Joe Keery was open about just how long a collaboration has been in the works. Joe Keery has been wanting to “team up” with Matarazzo since 2016. He has praised his co-star for his natural timing and professionalism. Joe Keery has said that it has not been a matter of a lack of interest in a project, but a matter of waiting for a script that allows for a natural flow that they have without resorting to the Steve and Dustin formula that has been memorized by fans.
Matarazzo echoed this, saying their collaboration is a “clear” and “soothing” one, adding it is rare to experience this level of trust on shows that aren’t given the opportunity to air for several years on end. This trust is particularly important today, as both Keery and Matarazzo have extremely busy careers on the horizon for 2026. Keery is balancing screen work with a world tour as a musician under the pseudonym Djo, while Matarazzo is embarking on a new chapter as a lead actor as well as an executive producer on a new Hulu comedy series.
Naturally, fans have pointed to the Stranger Things finale itself for answers, particularly at the closing plot point that finds Dustin and Steve at Oglethorpe University for one final adventure together. While the Duffer Brothers have confirmed a spin-off titled Stranger Things: Tales from ’85, they have remained mum on whether the above relates at all. The general consensus in the industry is that it’s a simpler, and maybe even more interesting, story: a grounded buddy film, maybe a comedy, maybe a road trip, all about the relationship they have off-screen, featuring Matarazzo and Keery. If it comes together, it won’t be a look back on the past.
It’ll be a statement about proving that the relationship they had wasn’t something that was created in Hawkins.
