Netflix announced this week that their hit show Stranger Things will conclude with a fifth season. The renewal announcement was made in conjunction with the public release dates for the upcoming fourth season, which has been split into two volumes.
The Duffer Bros, who created the show, wrote in a letter to fans posted on the official show Instagram account, “Seven years ago, we planned out the complete arc for Stranger Things. At the time, we predicted the story would last four to five seasons. It proved too large to tell in four, but — as you’ll soon see for yourselves — we are now hurtling toward our finale. Season 4 will be the penultimate season; season 5 will be the last.”
Debuting in 2016, the sci-fi show crashed onto the scene to widespread critical and commercial acclaim, spawning into a pop culture phenomenon as famous as its 80s influences. It has also launched the careers of its central child stars, with Finn Wolfhard and Millie Bobby Brown both having gone on to star in a number of blockbusters including It, Ghostbusters: Afterlife, Godzilla: King of the Monsters, and Enola Holmes. The show has been nominated for a host of accolades across its three seasons, including nearly 40 Emmys.
The show’s most recent season was released in 2019, with Covid restrictions delaying the production of season 4. However, the wait for fans is nearly over, with Volume 1 of Stranger Things 4 dropping on the streaming service on May 27th 2022, with the remaining episodes releasing on July 1st.
Stars of the show have hinted that this upcoming season will be the scariest one yet. Wolfhard commented, “We can start to get a little more scary and horror-related. There are a lot more gross things, for sure.”
In terms of what the creators have said to expect, they reveal more in their aforementioned letter: “With nine scripts, over eight-hundred pages, almost two years of filming, thousands of visual effects shots, and a runtime nearly twice the length of any previous season, Stranger Things 4 was the most challenging season yet, but also the most rewarding one. Everyone involved is incredibly proud of the results, and we can’t wait to share it with you.”
Words by Rehana Nurmani
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