Is the Duffer Brothers’ upcoming series ‘The Talisman’ connected to ‘Stranger Things?’

Warning: This article contains spoilers for Stranger Things season 4

The explosive fourth season of Stranger Things has given fans plenty to think about. One of the most interesting easter eggs features a nod to a future Duffer Brothers project that has left fans wondering if this new project is a Stranger Things spin-off or if it is connected to Stranger Things in some way. 

What is The Talisman?

In a recent episode of Stranger Things, Lucas reads a short extract from a book called The Talisman, which is actually a famous real-world book.

Released in 1984, The Talisman was written by Stephen King and Peter Straub. The story follows twelve-year-old Jack Sawyer, who leaves his home in Arcadia Beach, New Hampshire, to embark on a quest to save his mother, Lily, who has terminal cancer. Jack thinks he can save her by finding a magical crystal called the Talisman.

This isn’t an easy quest as Jack soon finds himself sucked into a strange place called the Territories, which is a parallel world in which most of the people have an alternate version of themselves in our world. Usually both versions of a person will die at the same time, but sometimes one of the pair can die while the other survives. In this situation, the so-called “single-natured” survivor can flip between the two worlds, meaning Jack now has to solve the problems of the two worlds while also trying to save his mother. 

The Talisman became a cult classic and is still popular today. Steven Spielberg was so in love with the concept he brought the film rights to the story two years before it hit shelves. The idea of a movie version of The Talisman has been floating around for years. But it never actually happened. In 2021 it was revealed that Spielberg’s Amblin Television, Paramount Television Studios, and the Duffer Brothers would be teaming up to bring the tale to the screen.  

This was further confirmed today when the project slate for the Duffer Brothers’ new production company Upside Down Pictures was revealed. Alongside The Talisman, this slate includes Stranger Things spin-offs, and a live-action adaption of popular manga and anime Death Note. 

Are Stranger Things and The Talisman linked? 

While the Duffer Brothers are heavily influenced by Stephen King’s work, The Talisman is not linked to Stranger Things, despite the storylines sharing many similar themes. In an interview with Deadline, Matt Duffer noted: 

Well, if you can believe it, we’re really into Stephen King, and this was the ultimate. Our friend Curtis Gwinn, one of the main writers on Stranger Things actually asked if we’d be interested in getting involved. There was a show that he was talking with Amblin about. We were immediately excited. We loved The Talisman. It may be the last great ’80s Stephen King book that has not been previously adapted, and that’s only because Amblin and Spielberg have held onto it for as long as they have.

In the interview, Matt also notes how similar the story is to the one found in Stranger Things, saying:

It involves a lot of things that are very similar to Stranger Things. It’s about a kid who’s trying to save his dying mother and he travels into another dimension in order to do so. I mean, it’s much more fantasy. It has sci-fi. It has horror elements. It has a lot of heart. It has everything that we love. And it’s got the best werewolf character I think, ever.