Duffer Brothers developing The Savage as a TV series at Netflix

As Netflix prepares to wrap up its hit series Stranger Things later this year, Matt and Ross Duffer (The Duffer Brothers) are focusing on their next project: The Savage. The Duffer brothers are developing a series based on the novel The Savage, Noble Death of Babs Dionne by author Ron Currie. Currie and his writing partner Joshua Mohr will co-write the screenplay and serve as executive producers. Hilary Leavitt will also executive produce with the Duffers through their production company Upside Down Pictures.


The Duffer Brothers

The crime thriller story revolves around Babs Dionne, a proud French-American, loving grandmother and ruthless crime matriarch. She rules the town of Waterville, Maine, with an iron fist and controls the drug supply to the Little Canada neighborhood. She does this together with her loyal girlfriends (her “lieutenants” since they were teenagers) and her eldest daughter Lori, a Navy veteran struggling with addiction.

When a major drug kingpin notices that his revenue in the Northeast is declining, he sends a mysterious and dangerous figure, known only as The Man, to investigate. At the same time, Babs’ youngest daughter Sis disappears, which seems no coincidence. Within 24 hours, Sis will be found dead, after which the entire town will have to shelter from Babs’ wrath.

Published by Penguin Random House, the novel was released in late March 2025 and was immediately included on multiple “Best Books of 2025” lists, including those by NPR, Amazon, Apple Books, The Guardian, and Barnes & Noble.

Meanwhile, the Duffer Brothers are gearing up for the fifth and final season of Stranger Things, which will be released in three parts: Wednesday, November 26, Thursday, December 25 (Christmas Day), and New Year’s Eve of this year. They are also working on an animated series set in the Stranger Things universe, titled Stranger Things: Tales From ’85, as well as a live-action spinoff.