Stranger Things Season 5 Delayed As Series Creators Pause Production Due To Writers’ Strike
Vecna’s return has temporarily been put on hold as the Duffer Brothers announced production on Stranger Things Season 5 has been delayed due to the ongoing writers’ strike.
It seems that Vecna’s return to Hawkins has been temporarily put on hold. Stranger Things series creators Matt and Ross Duffer announced on social media recently that production on the fifth and final season of the hit Netflix series has been paused due to the ongoing Writers Guild of America strike.
The wrtiers’ strike officially began on May 2nd after the union and major Hollywood studios were unable to agree on a new contract. The guild is seeking higher compensation for writers — including better residuals — as well as minimum staffing requirements, shorter exclusivity deals, and safeguards around the usage of artificial intelligence in the production process.
Although filming on Season 5 was slated to begin this summer, the Duffer Brothers acknowledged that “writing does not stop when filming begans.” In previous years, the Duffer Brothers would often finish the scripts while they were shooting episodes, although this changed for Season 4 due to hiatus brought on by Covid. But even with scripts fully written, changes are often made during filming, which is what the creators are alluding to in their recent tweet.
“Duffers here. 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,” the Duffer Brothers wrote on social media. “We hope a fair deal is reached soon so we can all get back to work. Until then — over and out.”
Duffers here. 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
— stranger writers (@strangerwriters) May 6, 2023
Netflix hadn’t announced a release date for Stranger Things Season 5 although it was expected to arrive in late 2024 or possibly even 2025. It’s unclear how this delay will impact any previous scheduling plans.
Of course, Stranger Things fans are no, pardon the pun, strangers to having to wait for extended periods of time between seasons. There was nearly a three-year gap between Seasons 3 and 4, although that was largely due to the pandemic.
Season 5 is expected to be the final season for the hit Netflix series, but there are multiple spin-offs in development. In April 2023, Netflix ordered an animated series set in the Stranger Things universe. This is in addition to live-action spin-off already in development for the streaming service. We don’t know how far along in development these spin-offs are, but presumably they are also being impacted by the writers’ strike.
