Stranger Things season 5 has been on an indefinite hold, but Netflix’s hit series has at last come one step closer to finally happening.
They say all good things must come to an end, but whoever said that clearly hadn’t seen Stranger Things. Yes, we know that all TV shows must come to an end eventually — unless you’re The Simpsons because that show is going to outlive us all at this point. Still, that doesn’t make it any easier to wrap your head around having to say goodbye to one of the best shows to ever grace our screens.
There are a lot of questions looking ahead to just how the Duffer Brothers will look to close out the story. Given the teases of the franchise living on in spinoffs, many question whether the show will end with the conclusion to key storylines but the door left open for more stories to be told, or whether any spinoffs might be prequels set before the events of the show.
Regardless of what they decide, we have faith in the Duffers to stick the landing and have been eagerly counting down the days until the show’s final episodes arrive. It’s a countdown we had always prepared to be long, but is likely to be even longer than anticipated due to the snag the show hit this year due to the unexpected WGA and SAG-AFTRA writing strikes.
How was Stranger Things affected by the strikes?
In May, the Writers Guild of America (WGA) began what would go on to be a 148-day strike after the studios failed to agree to a new deal that offered added protections for writers in the industry. While some shows and movies remained in production during the early days of the WGA strike before the Screen Actors Guild-American Federation of Television and Radio Artists (SAG-AFTRA) union went on strike as well, Stranger Things was among the first major shows to halt production entirely when the WGA strike began.
On May 6, the Duffer Brothers took to Twitter via the Stranger Things writers’ account to inform fans that production on Stranger Things season 5 had been stopped and would not continue until the WGA strike was over.
Duffers here. Writing does not stop when filming begins. While we’re excited to start production with our amazing cast and crew, it is not possible during this strike. We hope a fair deal is reached soon so we can all get back to work. Until then -- over and out. #wgastrong
— stranger writers (@strangerwriters) May 6, 2023
As a result, production on the final season was paused before filming could even begin on the season which left the show in limbo and delayed its production timeline. Fortunately, with the WGA reaching a new agreement with the studios, the WGA strike has come to an end as of Sept. 27 which has brought about an exciting update on the status of Stranger Things‘ final season.
Stranger Things season 5 is finally back in production
With the WGA reaching a new deal with the studios, writers are finally able to resume work on projects which includes Stranger Things. At exactly 3:01 a.m. on Sept. 27, the Stranger Things writers celebrated the end of the WGA strike by taking to Twitter to announce to fans that they are officially back.
— stranger writers (@strangerwriters) September 27, 2023
While filming will not be able to begin on the upcoming fifth season of the show until after the actors’ union reaches a new deal with the studio, work can finally resume on Stranger Things season 5 in some capacity now that the writers are able to resume their regular duties. This should allow the creative team the opportunity to resume work on the writing process in making any needed changes and additions to the season 5 scripts.
With the writers back at it, the groundwork can be laid for actors to begin filming once the SAG-AFTRA strike concludes which will be key for Stranger Things which was previously slated to begin filming this summer.
Stranger Things season 5 release date predictions
Now that the WGA strike has concluded, we’re one step closer to Stranger Things season 5 becoming a reality; however, we still have a long road ahead and, if we’re being honest, there doesn’t seem to be a world in which Stranger Things 5 arrives before 2025. It’s unfortunate, but likely the case.
Originally, filming on the final season was slated to kick off in June and, according to David Harbour via The Hollywood Reporter, filming on the season is expected to take about a year. Then there are the months of post-production that are typically needed to put the finishing touches on the show to get it ready for release.
Considering that it’s unlikely filming will be able to begin until possibly January, it’s looking incredibly likely that the final season of Stranger Things will not be ready to release on Netflix in 2024. What seems most likely is that the final season will arrive sometime in 2025, possibly in the summer or early fall.
While we’ll have to wait to see how long the wait will be, the good news is the show is finally back in production and making strides toward becoming a reality.