Stranger Things (season 5)

Stranger Things
Season 5
Starring
Country of originUnited States
Release
Original networkNetflix
Season chronology
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Season 4
List of episodes

The fifth[1] and final season[2][3] of the American science fiction horror drama television series Stranger Things, marketed as Stranger Things 5, will be released on the streaming service Netflix. The season will be produced by the show's creators the Duffer brothers, along with Shawn Levy, Dan Cohen, Iain Paterson and Curtis Gwinn.[4][5]

Returning as series regulars are Winona Ryder, Finn Wolfhard, Millie Bobby Brown, Gaten Matarazzo, Caleb McLaughlin, Noah Schnapp, Sadie Sink, Natalia Dyer, Charlie Heaton, Joe Keery, Maya Hawke, Eduardo Franco, Jamie Campbell Bower, Priah Ferguson and Brett Gelman. Linda Hamilton will be appearing in an undisclosed role.

Cast and characters

Main article: List of Stranger Things characters

Main

Confirmed

Episodes

See also: List of Stranger Things episodes
No.
overall		No. in
season		TitleDirected byWritten byOriginal release date
351"Chapter One: The Crawl"[6]The Duffer BrothersThe Duffer BrothersTBA

Production

Development

On February 17, 2022, the Duffer brothers released an expansive letter about Stranger Things that revealed, amongst other revelations, the fourth season's two-part release schedule, their intention to produce a spinoff series set in the world of the show for Netflix, and the renewal of the series for a fifth and final season.[7] The duo had originally indicated the show was planned to run for a maximum four seasons, but a five season run was later teased by producers in 2017.[8]

As with seasons past, planning for the fifth and final season of Stranger Things began before the preceding season's release. However, due to disruptions caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, the Duffers were able to completely outline the fifth season before the fourth had even begun shooting, which was a departure from their usual development cadence. They then revisited their outline and reworked the structure and events of season five based on feedback they received after the release of season four, even going so far as to alter the series' ending.[9]

Writing

In early 2022, the Duffer brothers confirmed that Stranger Things would be ending with its fifth season, concluding the story arc out they had planned out seven years ago.[10] On November 6, 2022, Stranger Things Day, it was announced the first episode of the fifth season would be entitled "Chapter One: The Crawl" and written by the Duffers.[11] As noted by the Duffers in the WGFestival 2022, some unused ideas originally conceived for the second season were implemented in the fifth season's storylines. Because of the COVID-19 pandemic's effects on the entertainment industry, the Duffers had time to outline the fifth season before even the fourth season could be shot, edited and released, but once the fourth season was released, the Duffers received some feedback from both the fans and collaborators of the show, leading them to re-write some plans for the season, namely the series finale, and pitch them to Netflix, though they noted that most of their original plan stayed unchanged.[9] The writers team described the tone of the season as if "season 1 and 4 had a baby" which was "injected with steroids".[12] On May 6, 2023, the Duffer brothers announced that writing for fifth and final season of Stranger Things had been paused due to the 2023 Writers Guild of America strike.[13] On September 27, the day that the strike officially ended, the Stranger Things Writers account posted an image stating "We're back,"[14] officially confirming that writing on the fifth and final season had resumed. On the same day, Netflix revealed that they were prioritizing the scripts of the season due to the aging cast.[15] On October 14, 2023, it was revealed that writing for the fifth and final season was over halfway done.[16] On December 10, 2023, the Duffers confirmed that the stories of Eleven, Dustin, Lucas and Hopper are done in Stranger Things final season.[17]

Filming

In November 2022, David Harbour revealed that filming for the season would take place in Atlanta, Georgia during the summer of 2023 and that, given his commitments for the Marvel Studios film Thunderbolts (2025), he would work on both projects back-to-back.[18] Noah Schnapp said filming for his scenes would begin in May,[19] though Harbour later said filming would begin in June.[20] Shawn Levy would also be involved with Marvel and his frequent collaborator Ryan Reynolds by taking the directorial duties for Deadpool 3 (2024), overlapping with Levy's capacity as director for the fifth season like he did in the first four seasons. However, Levy talked with Marvel and Reynolds to make sure he could "figure out" some scheduling aspects to at the very least direct one episode for the final Stranger Things season out of his close friendship with the Duffers.[21] In May 2023, production on the season was delayed indefinitely due to the 2023 Writers Guild of America strike.[22] On June 17, 2023, Linda Hamilton was added to the cast, and filming was set to begin on August 2, 2023.[23] On June 28, 2023, it was announced that director Dan Trachtenberg would direct at least one episode of the season.[24] After the 2023 SAG-AFTRA strike began, the season was only further delayed.[25][26] At the 2023 Toronto International Film Festival, Levy confirmed that he would direct at least one episode of the season.[27] Due to the strike's duration, the younger cast aged a bit, but Levy dismissed any concerns over using artificial intelligence to de-age the cast; instead, Levy suggested the use of make-up and costumes, praising the cast and the Duffers.[28] The delay in filming has caused some economic turbulence in Jackson, Georgia where much of the show is filmed.[29] In December, it was reported that filming is scheduled to begin between January 5 and 8, 2024.[30][31] Filming began on January 5, 2024.[32]

References

  1. ^ "'Stranger Things' Creators Compare Season 5 to 'Return of the Jedi' — But Not the Way You Think". Yahoo!. May 28, 2022. Archived from the original on May 31, 2022. Retrieved May 31, 2022.
  2. ^ "Stranger Things Season 5's Emotional Ending Teased By Duffer Brothers". Screen Rant. May 30, 2022. Archived from the original on May 31, 2022. Retrieved May 31, 2022.
  3. ^ Delgado, Sara; McNab, Kaitlyn (February 17, 2022). "Sadie Sink On THAT Ending & Max's Future in "Stranger Things 5"". Teen Vogue. Archived from the original on August 3, 2022. Retrieved August 5, 2022.
  4. ^ "The Duffer Brothers on Stranger Things 4's Vecna Twist, Season 5 Answers". TheWrap. June 3, 2022. Archived from the original on June 5, 2022. Retrieved June 5, 2022.
  5. ^ "Can Dustin Recover For 'Stranger Things' Season 5?". Esquire. July 28, 2022. Archived from the original on June 9, 2022. Retrieved June 9, 2022.
  6. ^ Stranger Things [@Stranger_Things] (November 7, 2022). "season 5. chapter one. the crawl. happy stranger things day" (Tweet). Archived from the original on November 7, 2022. Retrieved November 7, 2022 – via Twitter.
  7. ^ "'Stranger Things' Renewed For Fifth And Final Season, Gets Premiere Dates For Split Season 4 As Duffer Brothers Tease Potential Spinoffs". Deadline. February 17, 2022. Archived from the original on February 22, 2022. Retrieved December 22, 2022.
  8. ^ "Stranger Things will likely go beyond 4 seasons, per producers". Entertainment Weekly. September 28, 2017. Archived from the original on December 23, 2022. Retrieved December 22, 2022.
  9. ^ a b "The Duffers Just Shared Something About the 'Big Ending' of 'Stranger Things'". Tudum. November 21, 2022. Archived from the original on November 22, 2022. Retrieved November 26, 2022.
  10. ^ "'Stranger Things' Season 5: Shawn Levy Teases 'Fully Formed' Plan". Us Weekly. May 30, 2022. Archived from the original on August 5, 2022. Retrieved May 31, 2022.
  11. ^ Tinoco, Armando (November 6, 2022). "'Stranger Things': Title Of Episode 1 From Fifth & Final Season Revealed". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on November 7, 2022. Retrieved November 7, 2022.
  12. ^ "Stranger Things Writers Use Baby Injected With Steroids in Season 5 Description". ComicBook.com. March 21, 2023. Archived from the original on March 23, 2023. Retrieved March 23, 2023.
  13. ^ "Writing on the fifth and final season of Stranger Things has been paused". Archived from the original on November 9, 2023. Retrieved October 22, 2023.
  14. ^ "Stranger Things writers resume writing on the fifth and final season". Archived from the original on November 9, 2023. Retrieved October 22, 2023.
  15. ^ "Netflix to Prioritize Scripts for Wednesday Season 2 & Stranger Things Final Season". MovieWeb. September 28, 2023. Archived from the original on September 29, 2023. Retrieved October 22, 2023.
  16. ^ "'What does a mega episode of "Stranger Things" look like onstage?' Inside 'The First Shadow'". Los Angeles Times. October 14, 2023. Archived from the original on October 22, 2023. Retrieved October 22, 2023.
  17. ^ Lewis, Tim (December 10, 2023). "The Duffer Brothers: 'The last series of Stranger Things is the biggest it's ever been'". The Guardian. Archived from the original on December 10, 2023. Retrieved December 10, 2023.
  18. ^ Weintraub, Steve (November 15, 2022). David Harbour Says He'll Be Filming 'Stranger Things' 5 and 'Thunderbolts' at the Same Time [Exclusive]. Collider Interviews. Archived from the original on November 16, 2022. Retrieved November 17, 2022 – via YouTube.
  19. ^ McPherson, Christopher (January 27, 2023). "Noah Schnapp Starts Shooting 'Stranger Things' Season 5 In May". Collider. Archived from the original on January 29, 2023. Retrieved January 29, 2023.
  20. ^ Lutz, John (March 5, 2023). "'Stranger Things' Star David Harbour Reveals When Season 5 Will Begin Filming". Collider. Archived from the original on March 28, 2023. Retrieved March 13, 2023.
  21. ^ O'Rourke, Ryan (December 15, 2022). "Shawn Levy Says 'Stranger Things' Season 5 Will Be "Epic & Very Emotional" [Exclusive]". Collider. Archived from the original on January 20, 2023. Retrieved February 3, 2023.
  22. ^ Andreeva, Nellie (May 6, 2023). "'Stranger Things' Final Season Production Pushed Due To Writers Strike; Duffer Bros Hope "Fair Deal Is Reached Soon"". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on May 6, 2023. Retrieved May 9, 2023.
  23. ^ Campione, Katie (June 17, 2023). "'Stranger Things' Adds Linda Hamilton For Final Season — Tudum". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on June 22, 2023. Retrieved June 27, 2023.
  24. ^ Bell, BreAnna (June 28, 2023). "'Stranger Things' Season 5 Lands 'Prey' and '10 Cloverfield Lane' Director Dan Trachtenberg". Variety. Archived from the original on June 28, 2023. Retrieved June 28, 2023.
  25. ^ Sessoms, Janelle (July 14, 2023). "Movies & TV Shows Delayed by the SAG Strike". L'Officiel. United States. Archived from the original on July 17, 2023. Retrieved July 16, 2023.
  26. ^ "Stranger Things, Severance, and more — Here are the films and TV shows affected by the Hollywood strike". ABC News. September 13, 2023. Archived from the original on September 14, 2023. Retrieved September 15, 2023.
  27. ^ McPherson, Chris (September 11, 2023). "Shawn Levy Confirms He Is Returning to Direct For 'Stranger Things' Season 5". Collider. Archived from the original on September 12, 2023. Retrieved September 12, 2023.
  28. ^ Campione, Katie (November 1, 2023). "'Stranger Things' Producer Shawn Levy Says Production Won't Use AI To De-Age Actors In Season 5". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on November 2, 2023. Retrieved November 9, 2023.
  29. ^ Rojas, Rick (October 8, 2023). "A Georgia Town Where 'Stranger Things' Is Shot Yearns for Production to Return". The New York Times. Archived from the original on November 9, 2023. Retrieved November 26, 2023.
  30. ^ Andreeva, Nellie (December 8, 2023). "'Stranger Things' Sets January Production Start For Fifth & Final Season". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on December 8, 2023. Retrieved December 8, 2023.
  31. ^ Adam B., Vary (December 8, 2023). "'Stranger Things' Final Season to Begin Production in January". Variety. Archived from the original on December 9, 2023. Retrieved December 9, 2023.
  32. ^ Franklin, Garth (January 5, 2024). ""Stranger Things" Final Season Begins Filming". Dark Horizons. Archived from the original on January 6, 2024. Retrieved January 6, 2024.