Stranger Things is back in production and working on season five. The long-awaited final season of the hit Netflix series is in the works.
The beloved sci-fi series began production on January 8, Netflix confirmed on Facebook, along with a black-and-white image of the cast. They sit in front of a glowing red sign that reads 5.
The photo shows series creators Matt and Ross Duffer with returning cast members Millie Bobby Brown, David Harbour, Winona Ryder, Caleb McLaughlin, Gaten Matarazzo, Noah Schnapp, Joe Keery, Maya Hawke, Natalia Dyer, Charlie Heaton, Sadie Sink, Priah Ferguson, Cara Buono, Amybeth McNulty, Brett Gelman, Jamie Campbell Bower, and Finn Wolfhard, the latter of whom was holding what looks to be a script.
Linda Hamilton (The Terminator, Children of the Corn) joined, though in what capacity is still unknown. The Duffers said they were resisting the urge to bring on additional characters to focus on the main cast of misfits during their final season.
Stranger Things writers began working on the season five script on August 2, 2022, shortly after season 4 debuted on Netflix. The Duffer brothers kept fans in the loop through the writing process, such as when production was delayed during last summer’s WGA and SAG-AFTRA strikes. Filming was initially scheduled to begin in May of 2023.
The Duffers have put serious effort into the worldbuilding behind Stranger Things. They created a 25-page mythology during season one, which explores the lore of the Upside Down but keeps audiences in the dark. The Duffers’ work appears to have paid off, as they said the series finale storyboard made some Netflix executives cry.
“The last remaining questions that are answered in that document, we’ve punted a couple of those to have some big reveals,” said Ross Duffer, according to Tudum. “And that’s really going to affect what season five is about.”
Stranger Things debuted on Netflix in July 2016 and became an instant hit with subscribers. By the fourth season, the series amassed 140.7 million global views. Stranger Things was nominated for more than 230 awards and won 70, including 12 Primetime Emmys and a Peabody.
This past Stranger Things Day on November 6, the day Will goes missing on the show, the show posted an image of the first few lines of season five. The first episode, “Chapter One: The Crawl,” starts in the dark with a child’s voice singing a familiar song. More details than that have yet to be revealed, including the debut date for the final season.
Stranger Things became popular enough to drive up sales for products shown in the show, such as Eggos. Songs featured on the series’ soundtrack have also seen a boost in popularity. Kate Bush’s 1985 song “Running Up That Hill” saw new life thanks to Stranger Things, landing on the Billboard Hot 100’s top ten chart for the first time since its release 38 years ago.
While the characters are about to embark on their last season, the realm of Stranger Things is growing. There is an untitled animated spinoff series in the works, and the original play Stranger Things: The First Shadow premiered on December 14, 2023, at the Phoenix Theatre in London.