Here’s what we know about the upcoming fifth and final season of Netflix’s hit series Stranger Things.
Following one of the great cliffhangers in the show’s history, fans are eager for every detail they can gather about Stranger Things 5. Understandably, season 5, the finale of Netflix’s Stranger Things, is now one of the most highly anticipated events in television history. Since Vecna succeeded in tearing open a massive gate to the Upside Down, audiences now expect the heroes of Hawkins to engage in an epic final battle against the evil psychic and his army of monsters.
At this point, details regarding the season to end all seasons have been scarce, and the world likely won’t get to see the show’s last episodes for quite a while. In the meantime, here’s everything that has been revealed and should be expected from Stranger Things 5.Stranger Things season 5 release date
Season 5 was originally due to start production in May 2023, which would have meant that we were most likely a year or more away from the release of the new content on Netflix at that point.
But following the months-long strikes of both the actors’ and writers’ unions, production was delayed until both disputes were resolved. Though it once seemed like the series would return in the summer of 2025, it now seems we will see Stranger Things season 5 air in the winter of that year, or maybe in early 2026.Stranger Things season 5 cast
Season 4 spent a lot of time introducing a variety of new characters like Eddie, Argyle, Dmitri, Yuri, Vecna, and Victor Creel, to name a few. This all contributed to the season’s extraordinarily long runtime, which many audiences took issue with.
Fortunately, the Duffers revealed on Netflix Geeked that the fifth season will not bring in any new players to join the war for Hawkins, which will leave more time for the show to focus on the original cast and developing their characters. It will also give audiences a break from the show’s habit of introducing lovable characters and quickly killing them off. We’re likely going to see all of the originals at some point, but here’s a quick breakdown of who’s still in play:
Eleven/Jane Hopper — played by Millie Bobby Brown
Mike Wheeler — played by Finn Wolfhard
Will Byers — played by Noah Schnapp
Dustin Henderson — played by Gaten Matarazzo
Lucas Sinclair — played by Caleb McLaughlin
Max Mayfield — played by Sadie Sink
Steve Harrington — played by Joe Keery
Nancy Wheeler — played by Natalia Dyer
Johnathan Byers — played by Charlie Heaton
Robin Buckley — played by Maya Hawke
Jim Hopper — played by David Harbour
Joyce Byers — played by Winona Ryder
Murray Bauman — played by Brett Gelman
Vecna/Henry Creel/One — played by Jamie Campbell Bower
So, no instant fan favorites will be introduced this season. The focus is going to be solely on the originals, which is certainly a welcome move for the final season. Of course, there may or may not be a cameo — through a flashback or something — of Joseph Quinn’s Eddie Munson, who did perish last season in a glorious battle of metal and blood. Everyone loved him, however, so sometimes you just have to give the people what they want. We shall see soon enough.
Nevertheless, it was revealed by Netflix Tudum that The Terminator actor Linda Hamilton has been cast in the next season, but whether or not her role is a minor one remains to be seen. This is another case of the show casting iconic ’80s actors, as it had previously brought in names like Sean Astin, Paul Reiser, Cary Elwes, and Robert Englund.
It is also worth mentioning that, at this point, actor Noah Schnapp will remain in the show, despite calls for the show to be boycotted following the video of him smiling with people handing out “Zionism is sexy” and “Hamas is ISIS” stickers in the wake of the 2023 Israel-Hamas war.The cast negotiated a pay raise for season 5
Given the enormous success of Stranger Things, it only makes sense that members of the core ensemble should be paid handsomely for their work on the show. According to reporting in Puck News, these pay raises were separated into three tiers.
Winona Ryder and David Harbour are supposed to be paid $9.5 million for the season. Gaten Matarazzo, Caleb McLaughlin, Noah Schnapp, Finn Wolfhard, and Sadie Sink will make a little over $7 million for the season. Series regulars such as Natalia Dyer, Maya Hawke, Charlie Heaton, and Joe Keery will make $6 million for the final season.The show is casting for a few minor roles
In addition to all of the members of the core cast who are returning for season 5, the show is also casting for a couple of smaller roles as part of the new season. Among those who are being cast for the season are a number of army or military personnel (which makes sense given Vecna’s takeover of Hawkins) and a couple of 8-10 year old kids. A description for one of those kids reads: “[DEREK] Character is portrayed as 8-10yo, male, any ethnicity, overweight. An outsider with no friends, he is rude to adults — and a bully to those his age.”Stranger Things season 5 plot
With the major questions out of the way, let’s talk about some of the other details we know or that have been confirmed by the showrunners.Stranger Things season 5 will have a time jump
According to Screen Rant, like the show’s previous seasons, season 5 will begin quite some time after the fourth ended. One might assume that the show will pick up after season 4’s shocking cliffhanger, but the show’s creators understandably want more time to pass, given that most of the cast is still maturing and that the last two seasons took two to three years to complete. The show has made casting calls requesting vintage cars from 1988, implying that season 5 will take place two years after the previous one ended.
This time jump could thus have the series return to Hawkins long after the residents have evacuated the town, which could become overrun by Vecna’s forces from the Upside Down. However, who wouldn’t want to see the chaos unleashed on the invasion’s first day in the vein of A Quiet Place: Part Two?Season 5 will take place entirely in Hawkins
Season 4 of Stranger Things proved to be the show’s biggest yet in terms of scope.
