Eric Robles, the showrunner of the Stranger Things animated spin-off Tales from ’85, recently described the tone and style of the show. In a new interview, he said that the upcoming series will be heavily inspired by Steven Spielberg’s iconic horror thriller film Jaws. Netflix dropped the first look teaser for the new series in November 2025 and followed it up with a full official teaser, released earlier this month.
Eric Robles says Tales from ’85 is Stranger Things’ version of Jaws
The Glitch Techs producer teased that the Stranger Things animated spin-off, Tales from ’85, will be like Jaws.
Speaking to Empire Magazine, Eric Robles said that the upcoming show takes place during the winter of 1985. He added that Hawkins is “covered in this ocean of snow,” due to which new threats have emerged. “I’m a huge fan of Jaws, and this became our version,” he stated.
Robles also emphasized the connection between the Stranger Things spin-off and its parent series despite their different mediums. He said, “You could easily take [the show] and make it the live-action version.” Moreover, he described the series as a “lost season” of the original one. He added that the show takes viewers back to a time “when the kids weren’t trying to save the world — they were just trying to save the town.”
Stranger Things: Tales from ’85 premieres on April 23, 2026. The story takes place between the events of the original series’ second and third seasons. In the series, Mike Wheeler, Eleven, and their friends investigate a new threat lurking within and plaguing Hawkins.
Matt and Ross Duffer, who created the original series, created the spin-off. They also serve as executive producers alongside Robles, Shawn Levy, and Dan Cohen.
The live-action cast from the original series will not voice their characters. Mike, Eleven, Hopper, and the others will instead be voiced by new actors. The voice cast of the series includes Brett Gipson, Luca Diaz, Brooklyn Davey Norstedt, Jolie-Hoang Rappaport, Elisha Williams, Benjamin Plessala, Braxton Quinney, and Jeremy Jordan. They are joined by Odessa A’zion, Janeane Garofalo, and Lou Diamond Phillips, who have been cast in undisclosed roles.
Originally reported by Abdul Azim Naushad on SuperHeroHype.
