November 7, 2024, 10:37 am | Read time: 10 minutes

After the spectacular ending of “Stranger Things” season 4, fans think it could go straight on with season 5. And a sequel is definitely coming – but when exactly and how will it continue in Hawkins? All the information and rumors at a glance.

All essential information at a glance

• The final fifth season of Stranger Things will be released on Netflix in 2025.
• Stranger Things season 5 will comprise eight episodes, each of which will be feature-length and whose titles Netflix has already revealed in a video.
• The storyline is set in 1987, at least one year after the events of season 4.
• Will, along with Eleven and very likely Max, who must face the consequences of her sacrifice in the previous season’s finale, could play important roles in the battle against Vecna.
• The main cast will return, and Linda Hamilton has been confirmed as a notable new addition.

When will “Stranger Things” season 5 continue?

Season 4 even managed to knock the previous English-language series favorite, Bridgerton, off its throne. Only Squid Game was more successful overall in terms of figures. Given these figures, it came as no surprise to anyone that Stranger Things season 5 is a very high priority for Netflix. There were actually three years of production time between seasons 3 and 4. However, this delay was primarily due to the pandemic. It was actually planned that seasons 4 and 5 would be shot back-to-back. This plan was also not realized due to the coronavirus pandemic. Additional delays resulted from a strike by Hollywood writers.

As a result, the final episodes of Stranger Things will be available on Netflix in 2025. The streaming service confirmed this in the first real teaser. Filming has been underway since the beginning of 2024, but it is not known exactly when Stranger Things season 5 will start in 2025. The intricate post-production process could delay the release of the episodes until the end of the year.

How long will season 5 be?

The Duffer brothers were also quick to comment on the length of the planned final season of Stranger Things. While season 4, with its two-part finale, comprised nine episodes, season 5 is set to be somewhat shorter. A total of eight episodes, amounting to ten hours of runtime, are planned.

At the beginning of November 2024, Netflix released another small teaser for Stranger Things season 5. Not much can actually be seen. However, the streaming service has revealed the titles of all the upcoming episodes.

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1. Episode: The search
2. Episode: The disappearance of
3. Episode: The Turnbow Trap
4. Episode: The Wizard
5. Episode: The Electric Shock
6. Episode: The Escape from Camaztoz
7. Episode: The Bridge
8. Episode: Back in the real world

At least one spin-off planned

Stranger Things season 5 is probably not the final end of the whole cosmos. It appears that the series will be getting a spin-off on Netflix. This has also been confirmed by the Duffer brothers, who are behind the ratings hit. In the Stranger Things universe, there are still “many exciting stories to tell with new mysteries, new adventures, and new, unexpected heroes.” Allegedly, several spin-offs of the popular series are even being discussed. Depending on who survives season 5, there could be another series of its own.

However, an animated series based on Stranger Things in the style of a cartoon is all but confirmed. While details about the project’s content remain unknown, Netflix has seemingly already commissioned a first season.

The plot of “Stranger Things” season 5

Attention, here are some spoilers about the plot of “Stranger Things” so far.

Season 4 leaves us with a lot of destruction and darkness. With the ominous One, aka Vecna, the clique has to deal with a powerful villain. As he could not be defeated in season 4, he will definitely be part of season 5 – in whatever physical form. Even before the start of this 4th season, the makers announced “the beginning of the end.” This end then marks Stranger Things season 5, as the upcoming season will probably be the last of the successful series.

However, the series will feature a significant time jump. Netflix has now confirmed that the plot is set in 1987, meaning that at least a year has passed. This time jump could address a significant issue from Stranger Things season 4, albeit belatedly. Due to the pandemic and the resulting delays in filming, the actors have naturally aged further than their characters. For comparison, lead actress Millie Bobby Brown was 12 years old during the filming of season 1, the same age as her character Eleven.

Season 4 actually begins in spring 1986, two and a half years after season 1, but Brown is now 20 and not 15 – and you can see the difference. The same applies to her fellow actors, such as 19-year-old Finn Wolfhard, whose role is actually only 14. While this discrepancy cannot be altered for season 4, a time jump in Stranger Things season 5 could rectify the issue.

As season 4 ends with the Upside-Down having finally arrived in Hawkins, this will certainly be one of the central points in Stranger Things season 5. How will the town, and not least our protagonists, deal with the changed environment and the huge rift? It also remains to be seen whether and how Max will awaken from her coma.

In any case, the Duffer brothers already have a plan for the final finale: “We want to return to a lot of things from the first season. A lot of the original pairings and groups that we had in season 1. It’s a nice thing to come full circle like that.” This announcement should please fans, as the first season is hugely popular. The two minds behind the series also said that the ending, or more precisely, the last 30 minutes, had already been decided. The only thing that still needs to be worked out is how to get there. Each character is also anticipated to reach a satisfying conclusion.

Producers reveal plans for further storylines

Even if not much is publicly known about the further course of the plot of Stranger Things, the makers have, of course, known for some time how they will bring the threads together. At an event in Los Angeles, Ross Duffer announced, among other things, that the scripts were almost finished. The storyline reportedly moved Netflix management to tears – a promising sign of a potentially heartbreaking finale!

I remember in the first season we were just amazed that Netflix would even let us do that, but in the second season we really developed with the writers an overall plan and backstory for all of this (…). But just as important as the supernatural is that we have so many characters now – most of them are still alive – and it’s important to close those arcs. A lot of those characters have grown since season one, so it’s a balancing act to give them time to complete their character arcs while also tying up loose ends and doing our final reveals.

Ross Duffer

Thus, the primary focus of Stranger Things season 5 may not be entirely clear. Many fans should be pleased that the creators are aware that it is important to give the popular characters a fitting end and to tell the story of their development. Season 5 will pick up on something from each previous season.

Writers give an insight into the first episode of the new season

The creators of the popular Netflix series are renowned for offering sneak peeks into the work of the current season. They have already done this several times for season 5, including sharing the first three lines of the script in advance on social media. However, the post on the platform formerly known as Twitter is quite sparse. Stranger Things season 5 will therefore begin in darkness. Then “cold wind” can be heard, then “groaning trees” and finally the voice of a child “singing a familiar song”.

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Will could be a key character for “Stranger Things” season 5

Speculation immediately ran high. Many fans are convinced that this hints at Will Byers (Noah Schnapp). Relatively at the beginning of the hit series, the then 12-year-old Will ends up in the shadow world. So perhaps the final season will show us a few more of Will’s experiences in the dark world – we haven’t seen much of it so far.

A first (mini) teaser also supports this theory. There’s not much to see, but that leaves all the more room for speculation. The teaser depicts the Starcourt Mall – including the “Scoops Ahoy” ice cream parlor where Robin (Maya Hawke) worked – lying in complete ruins.

In addition to this impressive image, the flashing light bulbs are particularly interesting. Seasoned Stranger Things fans will, of course, know that Will Beyers tried to make contact with his friends and family in this way during his time in the shadow world. Could this be another clue to Will’s story in the dark parallel world?

The episode titles released in the teaser in November also suggest so. The title of the second episode is “The Disappearance of.” In the video, red letters flicker underneath, but you can’t read them. However, this may be another allusion to Will because the title of the very first episode of Stranger Things was: “The Disappearance of Will Byers.” Furthermore, the titles of subsequent episodes offer another clue: Episode 4 is titled “The Wizard.” Notably, Will played a wizard in the group’s Dungeons & Dragons campaign.

Either way, the little glimpses are keeping the fan community on their toes surprisingly well; the anticipation for Stranger Things season 5 remains high. Or, as one user of the platform formerly known as Twitter aptly put it: “You’re throwing us crumbs… we want more!”

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What we know about the cast

It is highly likely that there will be little change in the cast. Although there will be a few deaths in the season 4 finale, the cast will largely remain the same. Following Max’s temporary demise and subsequent rescue by Eleven, she is now in a coma, ensuring her presence in the new season.

The following actors are confidently returning to their roles:

• Millie Bobbie Brown as Eleven, later Jane Hopper, a teenager with extraordinary powers
• Finn Wolfhard as Mike Wheeler
• Gaten Materazzo as Dustin Henderson
• Caleb McLaughlin as Lucas Sinclair
• Noah Schnapp as Will Byers, has been associated with the Upside-Down and Vecna/the mind flayer since season 1
• Sadie Sink as Maxine “Max” Mayfield
• Winona Ryder as Joyce Byers, mother of Will and Jonathan
• David Harbour as Jim Hopper, Chief of Hawkins
• Charlie Heaton as Jonathan Byers, Will’s big brother
• Natalia Dyer as Nancy Wheeler, Mike’s big sister
• Joey Keery as Steve Harrington
• Maya Hawke as Robin Buckley
• Brett Gelman as Murray Bauman, private detective
• Jamie Campbell Bower as Vecna, born Henry Creel, known as “One”

As with previous seasons, it is probable that new actors will join the cast. However, no official information has yet been released.

Action legend plays a part in “Stranger Things” season 5

During the Netflix fan event Tudum, the streaming service introduced a new cast member for Stranger Things. The announcement itself served as a hint. Arnold Schwarzenegger was actually there to present his own series, Fubar. The Terminator star then smoothly transitioned to discussing Stranger Things and his former colleague Linda Hamilton. Netflix continues its retro approach with the series’ cast by bringing a well-known name on board.