Netflix’s Stranger Things is finally coming to an end. When the show debuted in 2016, it received widespread acclaim from audiences and fans. Almost a decade later, the science fiction television series is set to begin production on its fifth and final season early next year.
According to Deadline’s sources, Stranger Things will get the cameras rolling on its fifth season on Monday, January 8th, 2024. The publication also reports that production can start earlier, on January 5, depending on factors we are not privy to.
Stranger Things Season Five has been generating a lot of buzz recently, especially after new set photos made their way online in October and a screenshot of the script did the same last month. With the new revelation, the show – one of Netflix’s most successful ever – is bound to dominate social media in the coming weeks.
Stranger Things was set to begin production earlier this year but was halted due to the WGA strike. At the time, the creators and showrunners Matt Duffer and Ross Duffer, collectively known as The Duffer Brothers, had completed the script and could have begun production. However, they opted not to proceed as it would have prevented any script changes during production.
It was just as well that they postponed filming as, only a few months later, the SAG-AFTRA strike began. While they could have skirted the WGA strike since the scripts were ready, there is no workaround for the SAG-AFTRA strike as it would have meant that actors couldn’t work. Without willing actors, there wouldn’t be any shooting.
With the WGA and SAG-AFTRA strikes firmly in the past, Stranger Things has the all-clear to get the ball rolling again. If things go according to plan, the show will span 10 hours spread across eight episodes.
While the show’s plot details haven’t been revealed, there is no doubt that it will be monumental. David Harbour, one of the show’s stars, echoed this sentiment during an interview earlier in the year – and he’s not the only one who thinks so.
During an interview in September, Shawn Levy, a director on the show who also doubles as an executive producer, aired a similar sentiment. He referred to Stranger Things as “a major, major cinematic storytelling that happens to be called a TV series” and claimed the upcoming fifth season will be as big as the biggest movies ever, which is ballsy given that list includes Avatar and Avengers: Endgame.
While Levy’s comments sound far-fetched, they provide an insight into the production team’s plans for Stranger Things Season Five. They tell us that The Duffer Brothers have an ambitious plan for the final season and are going for the spectacular.
Stranger Things Season Five will see Millie Bobby Brown, Winona Ryder, David Harbour, Sadie Sink, Natalia Dyer, Finn Wolfhard, Gaten Matarazzo, Caleb McLaughlin, and other members of the original cast return. It will also see the addition of new cast members with Linda Hamilton the only confirmed new actor for now.
With production yet to start, it’s unlikely it will be ready to release anytime soon. However, if it begins production on schedule and there is no unforeseen circumstance, fans might just have the opportunity to revisit Hawkins for the final time in 2025.
