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Netflix has released an exclusive first look at Stranger Things’ highly anticipated fifth season.
Season 4 of Stranger Things was released in two volumes in May and July 2022.
Production for the fifth and final season was slated to begin in June 2023 but was delayed due to the 2023 Writers Guild of America strike.
The series is one of Netflix’s biggest original hits, attracting record viewership and critical acclaim.
The behind-the-scenes video showcases new additions to the cast: Nell Fisher, Alex Breaux, and newcomer Jake Connelly.
Narrated by key cast members, the video highlights the Atlanta soundstages where most of Season 5 has been filmed throughout 2024. Caleb McLaughlin mentions they are about halfway through production.
Stranger Things season 5 teaser shows returning cast members
The sneak peek meticulously avoids major plot spoilers yet offers tantalizing glimpses of the upcoming season. Fans will be delighted to see the core friend group—Mike, played by Finn Wolfhard, Dustin portrayed by Gaten Matarazzo, Caleb McLaughlin’s Lucas, and Will, played by Noah Schnapp—reunited around a radio.
Another scene features this group joined by Joyce (Winona Ryder), Nancy (Natalia Dyer), Jonathan (Charlie Heaton), and Steve (Joe Keery) around an overhead projector, signaling a return to collaborative adventures.
Dustin’s Hellfire Club t-shirt suggests a nod to Joseph Quinn’s Eddie Munson.
However, Millie Bobby Brown is notably absent from group shots, though she reflects on the show’s decade-long impact on her life. “I started when I was 10, I’m now turning 20 years old. Feels very weird.”
The video also includes glimpses of the Upside Down and crew members applying dripping goo to mysterious red tendrils. Jamie Campbell Bower, who portrays the villain Vecna, hints that Season 5 will surpass the scale of Season 4, while Linda Hamilton, the latest 1980s icon to join the series, expresses her enthusiasm for the show.
New faces in Hawkins
The new actors make brief but notable appearances. Fisher, known for her role in Evil Dead Rise, seems to portray a character similar to Mike’s younger sister, Holly, with a room full of flashing lights.
Breaux, who played Timothy McVeigh in Waco: The Aftermath, is seen wielding a rifle. Connelly is spotted alongside Lucas’ sister, Erica, suggesting he might be one of her classmates.
Maya Hawke recently shared on Podcrushed that the final season’s eight episodes will feel like “eight movies,” emphasizing the extended length of each episode.
She praised the dedication of showrunners Matt and Ross Duffer, noting the intensive writing and filming process. While Netflix has yet to announce an official release date for Season 5, it is expected to premiere in 2025.