The gap between the releases of seasons four and five will likely be shorter than the wait between seasons three and four.
Nancy (Natalia Dyer) and Jonathan (Charlie Heaton) in “Stranger Things”.
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The Duffer brothers told Variety in May that the time between seasons “should be a little shorter this time around,” given that their COVID-induced break from filming gave them time to outline season five.
Additionally, “we can’t imagine there will be another enforced six-month hiatus,” they told Variety.
Season five will be shorter – except for its finale. Most likely.
Eleven struggles to regain her powers in “Stranger Things” Season 4, Part 1.
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On the “Happy Sad Confused” podcast, the Duffer Brothers told host Josh Horowitz that they didn’t expect the show’s final season to be as long as season four, in part because ‘she won’t require the exposition of season four.
“I don’t know if it’s going to go 100 miles per hour at the start of five, but it’s going to go pretty fast,” Matt Duffer said. “The characters are already going to be in action, they’re already going to have a purpose and drive, and I think that’s going to take at least a few hours and make this season really different.
Ross Duffer said, however, that they would likely have another “two and a half hour episode” for the series finale, to avoid a TV phenomenon in which the series finale episode falls after the climax, and serves as “relaxation”.
Still, the brothers said that during the writing process, things could go differently lengthwise.
This will end the story of Eleven, Hawkins and Upside Down.
David Harbor and Millie Bobby Brown as Hopper and Eleven in season 4 of ‘Stranger Things’.
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In February, Netflix announced that the fifth season of “Stranger Things” would be its last. In a letter at the time, the Duffer brothers laid out their plans for the universe. Although there was still much to explore, the letter said, the series finale would bring its central story to an end.
“We hope you’ll stick with us as we wrap up this story of a powerful girl named Eleven and her brave friends, a broken police chief and a fierce mother, a small town called Hawkins, and… ‘an alternate dimension known only as the Upside Down,’ the brothers said in a letter.
The brothers “feel good” about the ending, which they have already planned.
Winona Ryder and Brett Gelman in the fourth season of “Stranger Things”.
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The brothers told Collider in July that they were confident in the series ending, which they had already planned.
“We feel good about the ending,” Matt Duffer said. “I was like, okay, I think this ending isn’t…I’m not very anxious. I’m anxious about a lot of things, but I feel like this ending is good. ”
Ross Duffer told the publication that the last 20 minutes of the series were “locked”.
Max being in a coma is an important plot point.
Max finds himself in a coma at the end of season 4 of “Stranger Things”.
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The Duffer Brothers said during a post-season four debrief with Netflix Geeked that they were considering killing off Max for good.
“The fact that she’s in a coma, I can’t really go into detail, but it’s important that she is,” Matt Duffer said. “It’s going to have a major effect on five. So it’s not, well, you know, a cheat. It’s incredibly relevant on five.”
Season five will explain more about Upside Down.
Vecna is the villain of “Stranger Things 4”.
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Russ Duffer told Netflix Geeked that lingering questions about the Upside Down, such as why it’s frozen in time to the point where Will was taken in season one, will be answered in season five.
“Answers to what the Upside Down really is are really going to be at the heart of what season five is about and the mysteries of season five,” Ross said. “And those answers are really going to lead us to the conclusion of this story.”
The fifth season will mostly take place in Hawkins, where it all started.
Millie Bobby Brown, Noah Schnapp and Finn Wolfhard in season 4 of “Stranger Things”.
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The Duffer Brothers told Collider that the fifth season will be set primarily in Hawkins, Indiana, as well as in reverse. It’s a direct contrast to season four, which saw the cast scattered across Indiana, California, and Russia.
“It’s about everyone finally coming back. Getting back together, getting back to Hawkins,” Matt Duffer said. “Hopper is back in Hawkins. The original band [is] back together – the original boy band Plus Eleven. The OG group. There’s something interesting about re-exploring some of the dynamics of season one, except on this grander scale.”
The story’s ending was apparently emotional enough to bring Netflix executives to tears.
Mike (Finn Wolfhard) and Eleven (Millie Bobby Brown) in “Stranger Things”.
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Ross Duffer told The Wrap that when he and Matt pitched season five to Netflix, it brought tears to the room.
“I mean, it was tough. That’s the end of the story,” he told the publication. “I’ve seen executives cry that I’ve never seen cry before and it was crazy. And it’s not just about the story, just the fact that it’s like, ‘Oh my God, this thing that has defined so many of our lives, these folks at Netflix who have been with us since the beginning, seven years now,’ and it’s hard to imagine the journey coming to an end.”
Will Byers will be a “big focus” in season five.
Will Byers (Noah Schnapp) turns to the window to silently cry over his feelings in season four of “Stranger Things.”
Courtesy of Netflix
Matt Duffer told Collider that Will, played by Noah Schnapp, will play a big role in season five.
“Will will play a big role and focus, that’s really all I can say about season five, in his journey. We’re starting to see his coming of age, really,” Matt told the publication. “Which has been difficult for a number of reasons, some of which are supernatural. But you’re starting to see it becoming his own.”