Comment: This is too soon for a main article for a future television season, and so does not meet television notability. Please resubmit when the shows are being aired. The parent article can be updated with any additional information. Robert McClenon (talk) 21:22, 13 November 2023 (UTC)
Fifth season of American science fiction web television series
Season of television series
The fifth[1] and final season[2][3] of the American science fiction horror drama television series Stranger Things 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, Brett Gelman, Paul Reiser, and Cara Buono. Returning in recurring roles are Tom Wlaschiha, Nikola Ðuričko, Amybeth McNulty, and Sherman Augustus. Linda Hamilton will be appearing in an undisclosed role.
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]
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 (2024), he would work on both projects back-to-back.[17] Noah Schnapp said filming for his scenes would begin in May,[18] though Harbour later said filming would begin in June.[19] 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.[20] In May 2023, production on the season was delayed indefinitely due to the 2023 Writers Guild of America strike.[21] On June 17, 2023, Linda Hamilton was added to the cast, and filming was set to begin on August 2, 2023.[22] On June 28, 2023, it was announced that director Dan Trachtenberg would direct at least one episode of the season.[23] After the 2023 SAG-AFTRA strike began, the season was only further delayed.[24][25] At the 2023 Toronto International Film Festival, Levy confirmed that he would direct at least one episode of the season.[26] 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.[27]
