Netflix taps iconic director for Stranger Things season 5

As Netflix gears up for the final season of Stranger Things, the streamer has tapped an iconic director to helm a Stranger Things season 5 episode! 

It seems Linda Hamilton won’t be the only icon checking into Hawkins for Stranger Things season 5!

Netflix has announced that director Dan Trachtenberg is joining the Stranger Things family in season 5 and will direct an episode of the show’s upcoming fifth and final season. It is not yet known which episode Trachtenberg will be directing, but its expected confirmation should come as we get closer to the season beginning production.

The addition of Trachtenberg to the directing team is an exciting one as Trachtenberg has quite an extensive track record when it comes to crafting compelling episodes of television. Trachtenberg oversaw the pilot episode for The Boys and previously teamed up with Netflix as the director of Black Mirror: Playtest. He’s also helmed some incredible films including 10 Cloverfield Lane and Prey. 

Is Stranger Things season 5 filming?

Unfortunately, production on Stranger Things season 5 is currently on hold due to the ongoing writers’ strike. Filming on the final season was slated to kick off in May, but the Duffer Brothers confirmed on May 6 that filming would not begin until after the WGA Strike concludes citing that “writing does not stop when filming begins.”

As there is no timeline for when the strike will end, it’s hard to predict when filming will begin on the final season but it’s looking likely that the new season won’t start filming until the fall. Once the strike is resolved, we imagine Netflix will quickly rush the show back into production as it looks to avoid any type of delay in the arrival of the show’s final season.

Should filming begin in the fall of 2023, it will be interesting to see if Netflix will be able to complete the season in time to drop new episodes in 2024. It’s fully possible the delayed start to filming might lead to a delay in the final season but Netflix has been sure not to provide any type of timeline for the show’s release.

Either way, it’s exciting to see Netflix is making some moves behind the scenes in tapping new actors and directors for the final season despite the pause on production!