Stranger things co-creator Ross Duffers woman, Leigh Janiakfiled for divorce after nine years of marriage.
Janiak, 44, filed the legal paperwork on Friday, February 23, according to documents obtained by TMZ. She listed the date of separation as TBD, and cited “irreconcilable differences” as the reason for the split. She is asking for spousal support, according to the outlet.
Duffer, 40, met Janiak in 2006 when the duo worked as an intern and producer assistant, respectively, at a production company in Los Angeles. The couple tied the knot in 2015 at Korakia Pensione, a resort in Palm Springs, California. Jennifer Knoopa friend of the couple who became Minister of Universal Life before the event officiated the wedding, said The New York Times.
Both Duffer and Janiak are best known for their writing skills, with Janiak being the creative force behind 2014’s Honeymoon and Netflix’s Fear street Trilogy. Duffer, meanwhile, serves as co-creator, showrunner, executive producer and director Stranger thingtogether with his brother, Matt Duffer.
Season 5 of the sci-fi series resumed last month in Atlanta. Filming was initially scheduled to begin in May 2023, but was postponed due to the WGA and SAG-AFRTRA strikes, which ended in September 2023 and November 2023, respectively.
Now that production is back on trackStranger things’ The fifth season will likely premiere sometime in 2025 The cover in May 2022, Ross and Matt revealed that the final installment will return to its roots.
‘The last few [episodes of the show] will be more like one Return of the Jedi. Not tonally, but just in terms of – they go from the beginning,” Matt told the outlet. “There will be less increase. And I think people will understand what I’m talking about when they see the end of season 4. It’s like we’re just going.
“There’s a lot of build-up and adjustment [each season]”, Ross added, “and season 5 will just be pedal to the metal from the opening scene.”
Two months later, the duo announced that after venturing to places like Russia and California throughout Season 4, the show would be bringing things back to the central location of Hawkins, Indiana.
“I think one of the things that’s exciting about Season 5 is [that] Season 4 was interesting for us because everyone was scattered to the winds,” Matt shared Collider in July 2022. “That was the unique thing about it. But this is about everyone finally coming back. We’ll get back together, come back to Hawkins. …There’s something interesting about re-exploring some of the dynamics of season one, except on this larger scale.
As for what comes next for Ross, he and Matt founded Upside Down Pictures in July 2022, a new production company with which they will develop film and TV projects as part of an overall deal with Netflix. That includes the play Stranger Things: The First Shadowwhich hit the stage in December 2023, and a Stranger things spinoff, although details about the series are being kept under wraps.
Janiak, meanwhile, will likely focus on the new series Fear street films that were greenlit by Netflix last month and are slated to be adapted R.L. Stine’s Novel from 1992 The Prom Queen.
While few details have been released about the new film — including whether Janiak will be involved in writing the scripts — the official description of the book was posted via Stine’s website in January.
“A spring night…soft moonlight…five beautiful Prom Queen candidates…dance couples at the Shadyside High prom – these should be the ingredients for romance,” the logline reads. ‘But stir in one brutal murder – then another, and another – and the recipe quickly turns to horror. Lizzie McVay realizes someone is killing the five Prom Queen candidates one by one – and she might be next on the list! Can she stop the killer before the dance is over – for good?