With Stranger Things wrapped and its animated spinoff already rolling, Shawn Levy has lined up his next TV home. The trades reported Monday that Levy and his 21 Laps Entertainment will develop and produce series across Disney Entertainment’s platforms and brands under the new pact.
TheWrap reports the move, which starts in October 2027 after nearly a decade based at Netflix, with Deadline, Variety, and The Hollywood Reporter also confirming.
For fans of Hawkins, the important continuity note is what stays put. Levy will keep collaborating with Matt and Ross Duffer on the Stranger Things universe at Netflix, including the animated Stranger Things: Tales From ’85, whose second season arrived September 17. As TDN reported in April, Netflix renewed the spinoff five days after its premiere.
The Disney homecoming is not a cold open. Levy’s earliest directing credits include Disney Channel’s The Famous Jett Jackson, and his feature résumé for the company stretches from Cheaper by the Dozen and the Night at the Museum films through Free Guy, Marvel’s Deadpool & Wolverine, Lucasfilm’s upcoming Star Wars: Starfighter with Ryan Gosling, and a planned Ghost Rider reteaming with Gosling.
“Years before I directed movies, I started my career directing and producing television episodes for Disney Channel, and I’ve always felt a kindred spirit in Disney and their storytelling ethos,” Levy said in a statement carried by the trades. He also thanked Netflix leadership and said he looks forward to “continuing our collaboration on the Stranger Things universe from the Duffer Brothers.”
Disney president and chief creative officer Dana Walden called Levy “an incredible storyteller and a true creative partner,” citing his range across genres and franchises. For TDN readers who have followed the live-action finale, the stage prequel, and Tales From ’85, Monday’s news is less a goodbye to Hawkins than a reminder that Levy’s next slate will run on two tracks: Disney TV development starting in 2027, and ongoing Stranger Things work at Netflix.
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