Stranger Things' Duffer Brothers won't be making Netflix series on Stephen King's The Talisman

Netflix has pulled the plug on its planned series adaptation of The Talisman, the bestselling fantasy novel by Stephen King and Peter Straub, ending a project that had been years in the making.

The show was being developed by Duffer Brothers—Matt and Ross Duffer—best known for creating Stranger Things. The brothers have now confirmed that the adaptation is no longer moving forward at Netflix.

Speaking to CBR, Ross Duffer said the project had quietly exited Netflix’s slate. Matt Duffer added that adapting The Talisman may have been more difficult than they initially expected, noting that the story has resisted multiple attempts to bring it to screen. Ross reflected on how long the novel has been circulating in Hollywood, recalling that even during his college years he had encountered early script versions tied to the property—evidence, he said, of its long and troubled development history.


When the series was first announced in March 2021, expectations were high. The adaptation was set to be overseen by Stranger Things writer and executive producer Curtis Gwinn, with production backing from Amblin Television and Paramount Television Studios. The involvement of Amblin, led by Steven Spielberg, further fueled optimism that the long-cursed project might finally take shape.

However, the past few years have brought major shifts across the entertainment industry—and for the Duffers themselves. While they continue to executive produce new Stranger Things projects, including animated and live-action spinoffs, they have also signed a broader deal that takes them away from Netflix and toward Paramount, complicating their involvement in long-gestating projects like The Talisman.

Despite the setback, fans of the book series still have reason for optimism. King has confirmed that he is working on a third installment in the Talisman saga, revealing earlier this year that the novel is close to completion. The idea for the third book, he said, originated in discussions with Straub before the author’s death in 2022.

Originally published in 1984, The Talisman follows 12-year-old Jack Sawyer as he journeys between worlds to find a powerful artifact that could save his dying mother—and reality itself. The story was continued in 2001 with Black House, which revisits Jack as an adult. For now, the screen version remains stalled, its long-standing “curse” still unbroken.