The creators of the popular Netflix series Stranger Things have revealed that they very nearly killed off one of the show’s standout characters.
Ross Duffer, who is one half of the writing, directing and producing duo the Duffer Brothers, recently let slip that Eleven wasn’t originally meant to make it to a second season.
The filmmaker and his brother Matt were recently participating in a Master Class Q&A session at Chapman University when he made the startling admission.
The brains: Ross and Matt Duffer, who came up with the series, revealed the plot twist that wasn’t while participating in a Master Class Q&A session at Chapman University
Big talent: Ross explained that the show was originally pitched as a limited series, meaning it wouldn’t have a second season, so killing off Eleven (pictured) wouldn’t have been a problem
‘Maybe I shouldn’t say this because I like to pretend that it was all planned out, but it was originally pitched as a limited series,’ he explained.
‘So it was like, Eleven was gonna sacrifice herself and save the world and then that was gonna be it, because there was a moment where limited series were a big deal.’
However, luckily for fans of the character, played by British actress Millie Bobby Brown, 13, Eleven was saved by Netflix, who didn’t want to stop at a limited series, predicting that the show would end up being a huge success – and the perfect candidate for a second season follow-up.
According to the Stranger Things creators, who are known professionally as The Duffer Brothers, limited series don’t make a huge amount of profit, which also increased the desire for more episodes, and more seasons.
‘When we started pitching it, it was like, “We don’t make money off of limited series,”‘ Ross explained during the talk.
‘And I remember when we went into Netflix and we pitched this they were like, “Well, we like this but how could it keep going?”
Big moment: They claimed that Eleven was meant to die in the finale of the first season, sacrificing herself to save her friends from the monstrous Demogorgon
Meteoric rise: The character Eleven is played by 13-year-old British star Millie Bobby Brown
The whole gang: Season one of the show reached around 22 million viewers in the U.S. alone
‘And you’re just sort of riffing in the moment and we were like, “Well Will’s back from this other dimension and he’s not doing very well.” And they were like, “Great!”‘
As it turned out, the first season did end with Eleven appearing to sacrifice herself in order to vanquish the Demogorgon, a creature that had been terrorizing the characters throughout the first season.
The act, which saw her decimate the terrifying creature using her psychic abilities, appeared to also take her life – with the young girl disappearing along with the monster, much to her friends’, and the fans’, horror.
However, as revealed in the first episode of season two, the much-loved Eleven had not disappeared, she had merely been transported to the alternate dimension known as the Upside Down – where the Demogorgon first appeared from.
That same episode also showed that the child with supernatural power didn’t remain in the alternate dimension for long, eventually escaping, before being rescued by police chief Jim Hopper.
Big return: As it ended up, Eleven escaped the Upside Down and was rescued by police chief Jim Hopper, who hid her from the doctors looking for her
Making it happen: Millie, pictured in season two of the hit show, will also be starring in Godzilla: King Of Monsters, due for release in 2019
It turns out that not turning the show into a limited run was the best decision the brothers could have made, as season one reached around 22 million viewers in the U.S. alone.
The second season appears to have been an even bigger hit, with over a million mentions on Twitter alone in the first 48 hours after it was released, breaking the previous record.
The show also launched the career of 13-year-old British actress Millie Bobby Brown, who will also be starring in Godzilla: King Of Monsters, slated for release in 2019.
Although this season of Stranger Things didn’t end on quite so much of a cliffhanger, fans can rest assured that the kids will be back, as the Duffer Brothers revealed that seasons three and four are already in the pipeline.