There’s some exciting news coming from the production of the highly anticipated fifth season of Stranger Things. The team, led by the Duffer brothers, has reached the halfway point of principal photography on the series finale. To celebrate, Netflix has shared behind-the-scenes footage and revealed the names of the actors who have just joined the cast.
Stranger Things season 4 ended two years ago, leaving viewers with the promise of a showdown between the sinister Vecna and Eleven, supported by her friends. We’ve gathered all the rumors and information on the internet and analyzed the latest episodes to predict what could happen in the series’ grand finale.
If you want to know what else is on Netflix, we’ve rounded up the best TV shows and movies on the platform.
Has Netflix started production on Stranger Things season 5?
Pre-production on Stranger Things season 5 began in 2022, as confirmed by an image of a blurry storyboard posted to the writers room’s Twitter account:
Season 3 took two years to develop, and Season 4 took more than three years — though much of that time was due to COVID-related delays.
Hopper actor David Harbour told GQ in July 2022 that they would film in 2023, leading fans to believe that Season 5 would be released in 2024. However, the WGA and SAG-AFTRA strike put the start of filming on hold, pushing the potential premiere date back to 2025.
According to the latest announcements, filming for the fifth season is halfway through. To celebrate this big moment, Netflix has released a behind-the-scenes featurette that gives a sneak peek at the best Stranger Things season ever.
How many episodes will there be in Stranger Things season 5?
On Twitter, the writers of the series eight episodes in total. Last season had nine, so that number makes sense.
The first episode of the final season will be titled “The Crawl.”
Will Stranger Things Season 5 Be the Last?
The Duffer brothers have confirmed that season 5 will be the final installment of Stranger Things. It will be a slightly shorter season than previous ones, but we don’t know if we’ll get two-hour episodes again.
In the end, they declared in an open letter:
Seven years ago, we planned the entire story arc of Stranger Things. At the time, we planned for the story to last four to five seasons. It turned out to be too long to tell in four seasons, but – as you’ll soon see for yourselves – we’re now heading toward our finale. Season 4 will be the penultimate season, and Season 5 will be the final season.
If the ending saddens you, we have good news: the Duffer brothers aren’t done with this universe. There will be a spin-off based on the world of Stranger Things with an all-new cast and a brand new plot, and there will also be a stage show based on the sci-fi series.
Who is in the cast of Stranger Things season 5?
Netflix hasn’t officially confirmed the full cast for season 5, but we can guess who will be returning.
We imagine the following cast members will be returning:
- Millie Bobby Brown like eleven
- Finn Wolfhard like mike
- Caleb McLaughlin like Lucas
- Matarazzo Gate like Dustin
- Noah Schnapp like Will
- Sadie Sink like Max
- Joe Keery like Steve
- Natalia Dyer like Nancy
- Charlie Heaton like Jonathan
- Maya Hawke like Robin
- Priah Ferguson like Erica
- David Harbour like Hopper
- Winona Ryder like Joyce
- Brett Gelman and Murray
We will almost certainly see the return of the big bad Vecna, played by Jamie Campbell Boweras well as other antagonists like Lt. Col. Jack Sullivan played by Sherman Augustus.
There will also be a new face – the Terminator star Linda Hamilton will join the cast in a previously unknown role.
Other cast additions include:
- Nell Fisher
- Jake Connelly
- Alex Breaux
What will happen in season 5 of Stranger Things?
Spoilers for Stranger Things season 4 below
The end of Stranger Things season 4 was darker than most other season finales, because in the end, Hawkins’ crew lost. Vecna opened the gates to the Upside Down, and now Hawkins is infiltrating parts of that strange world into the real world.
Vecna himself is missing after being injured by Eleven, Nancy, Steve, and Robin – but we imagine he’s still looking for Eleven, either for revenge or to form a team of his own.
The Hawkins group will likely try to find ways to close the gates and send Vecna and his monsters back to the Upside Down once and for all.
The Duffer brothers confirmed to TVLine that there will be some sort of time jump. This is likely because most of the cast can no longer pass for young teenagers. But it could be that the Upside Down completely swallows up Hawkins over the years, and the team will have to find a way to bring him back to what he once was.
But how? We still don’t know the origins of One/Vecna/Henry’s powers. Discovering this could be the key to defeating him and giving up his control over the Mind Flayer and other creatures of the Upside Down.
Eleven clearly has the best chance against him, but she still has some training to do before she can defeat him.
We also know that Lt. Col. Jack Sullivan is still looking for Eleven, as he considers her a genuine supernatural threat. It wouldn’t be surprising to see the team go into hiding from the government. It’s especially likely considering everyone’s ties to Eddie and the Hellfire Club, with many in the town believing it to be a devil-worshipping cult.
In an interview with The Wrap, the Duffer brothers pitched the final season to some Netflix executives and said, “They responded really well. I mean, it was tough. That’s the end of the story. I saw executives cry that I’ve never seen cry before and it was crazy.”
Does this mean we’ll be getting some major character deaths? Last season, the only two major losses we got were Eddie Munson and Dr. Martin Brenner/Papa. Max is badly injured and in a coma, but survived. Her experience may also mean she still has a psychic connection to Vecna, which could come in handy in the final battle.
Either way, we can’t imagine that all the gang members make it out alive. We have strong reasons to think that Eleven might have to sacrifice herself, because ultimately, she was the one who opened the door to the world in the first season, so she might have to close it too.
Additionally, Will will play a major role in Season 5 according to Collider. Last season’s finale showed that he still has a connection to Vecna, and that in the finale, it will blossom. Will has also shown strong hints of his love for Mike — another storyline we believe will be explored in Season 5.
There’s also the ongoing love triangle between Jonathan, Nancy and Steve – another storyline that could indicate that at least one of these characters won’t make it out of the final season alive and well.
Finally, the Russians may still be looking for Hopper and Joyce after their prison break. Will they head to America to exact their revenge? All will be revealed in Season 5.
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