It’s understandable why Millie Bobby Brown would voice her enthusiasm at leaving Stranger Things behind to free up a huge chunk of her schedule and start pursuing other projects, because Netflix’s flagship franchise is taking an eternity to reach its conclusion.
Of course, there have been extenuating circumstances contributing to its slow march towards a fifth and final season, with the pandemic significantly delaying production on its last run of episodes before the dual writers’ and actors’ strikes have placed the grand finale on hold indefinitely.
Realistically, the earliest we should expect Stranger Things 5 to premiere is mid-2025, but it can’t be ruled out that it might even be later than that. Worst case scenario, you’re talking nigh-on seven years for three seasons of television, which is ludicrous even for the standards of streaming.
Executive producer and occasional director Shawn Levy knows that full well, and he admitted to Variety that stops will need to be pulled out to stop the principal cast from looking like laughably unconvincing teenagers by the time it reaches screens.
“We’ve already watched the cast of our show grow up in the public eye, and between 12 and 22, every human being changes profoundly. This passage of time is definitely not helping. That being said, our hair and makeup and wardrobe department are pretty exceptional, using costumes and wigs and makeup. The ’80s are also our friends in returning these young adult actors to their iconic Hawkins characters. So we’re going to use all the all the tools available to us. And I know our cast is as eager to get back to work as the rest of us.”
The release date domino effect is ongoing as the actors’ strike shows no signs yet of winding down definitively, meaning we’re a long way away from Stranger Things 5 sending the saga out in a blaze of glory.