Stranger Things creators the Duffer Brothers recently revealed that they once offered to direct the new adaptation of Stephen King’s It, but Warner Bros. politely declined. Instead, they went off and made a Stephen King story of their own with their hit Netflix series. Perhaps returning the shout-out favor, one of the producers behind It is comparing the upcoming film to Stranger Things, thus creating a nostalgia paradox that will inevitably cause the internet to implode.

Producer Dan Lin appeared at the Television Critics Association (via Collider), where he spoke briefly about the long-developing adaptation of King’s classic horror novel, which is being helmed by Mama director Andres Muschietti. Lin favorably compared It to the Duffer Brothers’ Netflix series, and name-dropped Steven Spielberg for good measure:

I think a great analogy is actually ‘Stranger Things,’ and we’re seeing it on Netflix right now. It’s very much an homage to ’80s movies, whether it’s classic Stephen King or even Spielberg. Think about ‘Stand by Me‘ as far as the bonding amongst the kids. But there is a really scary element in Pennywise.

It’s kind of funny to hear Muschietti’s adaptation of It compared to Stranger Things, particularly since the Duffers have been very open about King’s influence on their series, which pays homage to a few other ’80s classics. To say that It is similar to a series that was influenced by Stephen King is…a little odd.

There’s a fine line between homage and overt nostalgia-pandering (Stranger Things has been acclaimed and derided for each, respectively), and it’ll be interesting to see how Muschietti has approached his adaptation of King’s horror novel, which was previously set to be directed by Cary Fukunaga. There are some subtle references to the original book and King’s universe in Fukunaga’s screenplay, as well as at least one homage to an iconic film adaptation of one of King’s novels. It’s unclear how much — if any — of that remains, but Lin’s quote above makes it sound like Muschietti’s version may be a bit heavier in the reference department.

It hits theaters on September 8, 2017.

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