Stranger Things season 5 has become the latest big casualty of the writer’s strike. The Duffer Brothers confirmed on their official Twitter account that it was not possible to start production on the final season of the Netflix show because “writing does not stop when filming begins.” This is a similar comment to those made about many other shows and movies that were all set to start production in the coming days, or in some cases were already filming. The Duffers said:
“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.”
According to Deadline, there has been no new date set for production on the final to begin, and that could be worrying for not only Stranger Things fans, but for many other productions that have only started getting back to normal following the Covid pandemic shutdowns. With this kind of delay also likely to have a knock on effect with future shooting schedules, it is another sign that Hollywood is about to face another tough time in the coming year.
Stranger Things Will Continue to Expand in Future
While the main Stranger Things series is coming to a conclusion, this is certainly not the last we will be seeing from the world of the Upside Down. Netflix have already confirmed an animated series will be heading into production, but there are other planned spin-offs yet to be announced by the Duffer Brothers.
What form these spin-offs will take is yet to be seen, and with the writers strike in full force now it is unlikely that any of them will be getting any kind of updates in the immediate future. However, we know that the spin-offs will not be based around Millie Bobby Brown’s Eleven after the actress expressed her desire to complete her Stranger Things journey and move on. She previously said:
“I’m definitely ready to wrap up. I feel like there’s a lot of the story that’s been told now, and we know of it, it’s been in our lives for a very long time. But I’m very ready to say goodbye to this chapter of my life and open new ones up. I’m able to create stories myself that are important to me and focus on the bigger picture. But I’m really grateful [for the show].”
Stranger Things season 5 was expected to arrive on Netflix in 2024, and while that still could be possible if the writers strike is resolved quickly as the Duffer Brothers hope, fans should prepare for the final season to potentially be pushed back to 2025. How this will impact spin-off plans is yet to be revealed.
This story originally appeared on Movieweb
