For Stranger Things, the final chapter is nearly here. Or is it?

After nearly a decade, Netflix’s signature sci-fi drama will reach its long-awaited end in the coming weeks, bringing its characters back where it all began for a final confrontation with the Upside Down.

But while this may be the end of Hawkins, it isn’t the end of the story. A spin-off is in development, reports Variety – one with new characters and a different era – though the creators have said little about how, or if, it connects to the main series.

But for fans eager to see how the story may continue, the show’s creators – the Duffer Brothers – tell The National that the finale will offer a first glimpse at what comes next.

“There’s one small scene in the finale that gives a hint as to what the spin-off will be,” Ross Duffer says. “We’ll see if people pick up on it.”

Matt cuts in, slightly bewildered: “Why are you giving people that?”

"Well, it'll be fun for them!" says Ross.

Stranger Things 5 will be available in three parts. The first four chapters will be released as Volume 1 on November 26, followed by another three as Volume 2 on December 25. The final episode, entitled Chapter Eight: The Rightside Up, will show on December 31.

The final season will feature the return of David Harbour as Jim Hopper and Millie Bobby Brown as Eleven. Photo: Netflix

When the spin-off will be released is still anyone's guess, but an announcement may come after the series concludes.

Although the new series is still early in development, the Duffers say it sits at a deliberate distance from the original.

“We’ve had that idea for years, but