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Stranger Things may not return to Netflix screens for quite some time, but progress has already been made on Season 5, which will serve as the show’s last.
Amid strikes and delays, it’s been a while since fans got a solid update on the final season, so we’re rounding up everything you need to know so far, from scripts to casting to the setup of some scenes. Scroll down for your definitive look into Season 5 so far, and stay tuned as we update when new progress or news is announced.
The Scripts & Storylines
(Credit: Courtesy of Stranger Things/Netflix via X)
On Stranger Things Day in 2022 (November 6), Netflix unveiled the news that Season 5’s first installment would be titled “Chapter One: The Crawl,” written by series creators Matt and Ross Duffer. Additionally, in an interview with Variety, it was revealed that star Noah Schnapp, who plays Will Byers, had received three scripts, meaning much of Season 5 had already been completed before the since-ended WGA strike.
“We sent him the first three scripts for Season 5,” Matt Duffer told the outlet. According to the Duffers, they shared those with Schnapp to prepare the actor for his character’s latest adventure. “Will really takes center stage again in 5,” Ross revealed. “This emotional arc for him is what we feel is going to hopefully tie the whole series together. Will is used to being the young one, the introverted one, the one that’s being protected. So part of his journey, it’s not just sexuality — it’s Will coming into his own as a young man.”
As viewers will recall, it was confirmed in Season 4 that Will Byers is gay and that it would play into his storyline, as has been hinted in previous seasons. And considering Season 1 revolved around Will’s disappearance to the Upside Down, the Duffers’ comments on him taking a central role in the final season make sense.
Taking these developments into consideration, Schnapp revealed at the time, “I think the way I act in Season 5, honestly, might be a little different. I will be fully aware of who I am. Knowing all of that about myself and being able to invest that in my character, I’m honestly just excited.”
Additionally, the writers of the show teased online, “Season 5 is like if Season 1 and 4 had a baby. And then the baby was injected with steroids.”
Casting
(Credit: Courtesy of Netflix/Stranger Things via X)
While we can assume that the majority of Stranger Things‘ ensemble including Millie Bobby Brown, Winona Ryder, David Harbour, Finn Wolfhard, Schnapp, Joe Keery, Natalia Dyer, Charlie Heaton, Gaten Matarazzo, Caleb McLaughlin, Sadie Sink, Maya Hawke, and more will return, one new cast member has been confirmed. The Terminator franchise’s Linda Hamilton will feature in a new role, as was revealed at Netflix’s TUDUM event earlier this summer. No additional details have been revealed at this time.
Directing
As shared by TUDUM, 10 Cloverfield Lane director Dan Trachtenberg will helm an episode of the show’s upcoming final season. It’s unclear which installment he’ll be directing at this time, but he likely joins the ranks of Shawn Levy, one of the show’s executive producers and go-to directors for the series. At this time, it hasn’t been announced or confirmed that Levy will direct, but considering his track record with previous seasons, we’re certainly willing to bet he’ll be back in the director’s chair, and according to IMDb, he is listed as possibly helming Episodes 3 and 4.
Scene Preparation
(Credit: Courtesy of Joe Keery via the Stranger Things Writers on X)
Previs (previsualization or digital storyboarding) has already begun on the season, as the writers are back to work following the WGA strike, but without actors currently working, the results have produced a comedic mix of GIFs and clips shared by the writers online. “Hope the studios make a fair deal with SAG soon or else season 5 is looking like this:” one post teased alongside a GIF of a virtual creation of Keery’s Steve. “FYI this is pre-vis for a scene in ep 1. So technically your first look at season 5. We told Joe he has to perform it EXACTLY like this,” they added.
In a follow-up, the account shared another GIF from a pre-vis scene featuring Heaton’s Jonathan Byers and Keery’s Steve, with the caption, “They did Charlie dirty.” Keeping the silliness going, the writers shared a photo of Heaton alongside his digital representation which was supposedly snapped by Keery himself.
Another pre-vis shot was shared, this time as a video with sound. It appears to feature some characters in a car as they scream. “One more week without a deal. One more week closer to this,” the writers shared in reference to SAG-AFTRA’s ongoing fight for a fair deal with studios. “I highly recommend playing this with sound. It really improves it,” they added.
The Duffer Brothers describing a scene from Stranger Things 5 using Funko pops
Notice how Eleven has her season 2 hair pic.twitter.com/vlvsLd0ozC
— Stranger Universe (@struniverse) October 30, 2023
The pre-vis continued when the Duffer brothers posted a video on social media of them imagining a scene by using Funko figurines of the cast.
Will the real in-person planning for the stars begin soon? Stay tuned as we await news on SAG-AFTRA’s strike, and let us know what you’re looking forward to from the final season of Stranger Things in the comments section, below.
Stranger Things, Seasons 1-4, Streaming now, Netflix