Stranger Things
Season 5
Promotional logo
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, David Harbour, Finn Wolfhard, Millie Bobby Brown, Gaten Matarazzo, Caleb McLaughlin, Noah Schnapp, Sadie Sink, Natalia Dyer, Charlie Heaton, Joe Keery, Maya Hawke, Amybeth McNulty, Priah Ferguson, Brett Gelman, Cara Buono, and Jamie Campbell Bower. Linda Hamilton will also appear as a series regular in an undisclosed role.[6]

Cast and characters

Main article: List of Stranger Things characters

Main

Episodes

See also: List of Stranger Things episodes
No.
overall		No. in
season		TitleDirected byWritten byOriginal release date
351"Chapter One: The Crawl"[7]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.[8] 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.[9]

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.[10]

Writing

Writing for the fifth season began on August 2, 2022, about a month after the premiere of season 4 volume 2.[11] On November 6, 2022 (Stranger Things Day), it was announced that the first episode would be titled "Chapter One: The Crawl" and would be written by the Duffers.[12] 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.[10] The writers team described the tone of the season as if "season 1 and 4 had a baby" which was "injected with steroids".[13] On May 6, 2023, The Duffer Brothers announced that writing for season 5 had been paused due to the 2023 Writers Guild of America strike.[14] On September 27, the day that the strike ended, the Stranger Things Writers account posted an image stating "We're back,"[15] officially confirming that writing had resumed. On the same day, Netflix revealed that they were prioritizing the scripts of the season due to the aging cast.[16] On October 14, 2023, it was revealed that writing for season 5 was over halfway done.[17]

Casting

The fifth season features the return of Winona Ryder, David Harbour, Finn Wolfhard, Millie Bobby Brown, Gaten Matarazzo, Caleb McLaughlin, Noah Schnapp, Sadie Sink, Natalia Dyer, Charlie Heaton, Joe Keery, Maya Hawke, Priah Ferguson, Brett Gelman, Cara Buono, and Jamie Campbell Bower.[18] In June 2023 during Netflix's TUDUM event, it was announced that Linda Hamilton would be joining the cast.[19] When production began in January 2024, a set photo released by the team confirmed the return of Amybeth McNulty as Vickie, who is promoted to series regular for the season.[20]

Filming

After a significant delay due to the 2023 WGA and SAG-AFTRA strikes, production for the fifth season officially began on January 8, 2024.[21]

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. ^ Rosenbloom, Alli (June 18, 2023). "'Terminator' star Linda Hamilton joins cast of 'Stranger Things' for final season". Archived from the original on November 18, 2023. Retrieved January 9, 2024.
  7. ^ 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.
  8. ^ "'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.
  9. ^ "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.
  10. ^ 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.
  11. ^ Writers, Stranger (August 2, 2022). "Day 1". Archived from the original on January 10, 2024. Retrieved January 10, 2024.
  12. ^ 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.
  13. ^ "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.
  14. ^ "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.
  15. ^ "Stranger Things writers resume writing on the fifth and final season". Archived from the original on November 9, 2023. Retrieved October 22, 2023.
  16. ^ "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.
  17. ^ "'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.
  18. ^ West, Amy (August 28, 2023). "Stranger Things season 5: All we know so far about the Netflix show's final chapter". Archived from the original on January 12, 2024. Retrieved January 10, 2024.
  19. ^ Rosenbloom, Alli (June 18, 2023). "'Terminator' star Linda Hamilton joins cast of 'Stranger Things' for final season". Archived from the original on November 18, 2023. Retrieved January 9, 2024.
  20. ^ Bankhurst, Adam (January 8, 2024). "Stranger Things Season 5 Officially Begins Production, Cast Photo Revealed". Archived from the original on January 10, 2024. Retrieved January 10, 2024.
  21. ^ Petski, Denise (January 8, 2024). "'Stranger Things' Is Officially In Production On Season 5 — First Photo". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on January 8, 2024. Retrieved January 8, 2024.
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