The announcement of SAG-AFTRA’s agreement with the AMPTP led to the development of a tentative deal between the two associations, and a litany of filming updates followed in regard to shows and movies that were hampered by the strike-related delays. Ever since the announcement, Stranger Things has impressed fans by sharing some of the most intimate details about the fifth and the final season. First, it revealed the initial moments of the first episode of season 5 in honor of Stranger Things Day 2023, and now, it comes with some tea on its ending.
In the middle of the season prepping up for the production, David Harbour, popularly known for donning the role of police chief Jim Hopper in the Netflix sci-fi series, teased the ending of the upcoming installment.
David Harbour opens up about Stranger Things season 5 ending
At Motor City Comic Con, the Stranger Things actor was asked whether there is any remotest possibility for the Netflix Original to have a sixth season. Confirming that the official streamer has already sealed the fate of the show with the fifth season, the Jim Hopper actor spiked the anticipation of the viewers by hinting at what they could look forward to. He teased, “The beauty of it is there’s a real ending – things will end in a very real way.”
david harbour talks a little about how season five of stranger things will end, alludes to the start of filming tomorrow, and gets asked about will byers having powers 👀 pic.twitter.com/tJKQdzmEnw
— willow the wise (@sapphicjopper) November 12, 2023
Alluding to the stage play, The First Shadow, which will reportedly open in London on December 14, Harbour explained that this play in London could “use the storyline noting that the storyline started in the main series “With the Upside Down” (being) “one complete story and it’s going to end at the final season of Season 5.” (Deadline)
Stranger Things: The First Shadow is an upcoming stage play created by the Duffer Brothers that would trace the origins of the Upside Down. The announcement of the same was made to commemorate Stranger Things Day, celebrated on November 6, the same day on which Will Byers went missing.
Previously, in conversation with Happy Sad Confused Podcast, Harbour had elaborated on the final season of Stranger Things while discussing several scripts for the upcoming season. Referring to the scripts, he said, “They’re terrific, as per usual.”
Praising the work of the Duffer Brothers, he said, “They continue to outdo themselves, these currently-on-strike writers called the Duffer Brothers.” Spiking the anticipation of the fans to yet another level, he added, “It’s a hell of an undertaking, too. I mean, the set pieces and the things in the scripts that we saw are bigger than anything we’ve done in the past.”
Later in the podcast, David Harbour also provided the viewers with a comprehensive overview of the fifth season, stating that it will indubitably pick up from where season 4 left off, with Hawkins completely debilitated down to dust. He said, “After where season 4 ended – where you watch us on that hill looking at the ash and the smoke and fires – we’re going to start somewhere after that. So you’ve got to imagine the world is a different place.”
David Harbour ‘thrilled’ to return to Stranger Things set
In an exclusive interview with People, while attending the BoxLunch Holiday Gala, an event commemorating FeedingAmerica, the 48-year-old actor admitted that he is “thrilled” to start working on Stranger Things. In the wake of SAG-AFTRA’s strike, the actor also revealed that he will be at the Stranger Things set from Monday.
Talking about the production timeline, he told PEOPLE, “I mean, I don’t know if we’ll be shooting next week, but yeah, as soon as possible.” He also alludes to the call he received from his showrunners when the strike’s conclusion was announced.
“They literally called me, I think it was 10 minutes after the SAG thing on Twitter. The first AD [assistant director] is like, ‘So, get the flight for you on Monday, right? We’ll be acting in Atlanta,’” he said.
Expressing his excitement about working on the much-awaited fifth and final season, the actor said, “I’m thrilled with that. I’m ready to work. I mean, there are other people that maybe aren’t, but I am thrilled.”
Later, he elaborated on his life when the strikes were ongoing. He revealed, “I mean, you have to ask my wife (Lily Allen) because I’ve been sitting on the couch depressed as hell. It’s been bad.”
He admits to PEOPLE, “I mean, it’s like what happened to me in the same way in COVID where you think to yourself like, ‘Oh, now I kind of have all this time,’ and then you just check your Google alerts every five minutes and are just neurotically insecure. So, I did nothing.”
He further added, “I mean, I maybe read half a book, watched a bunch of TV, and then now, I’m super excited to be back.”
The Duffer Brothers’ high-grossing sci-fi series was halted owing to the historic WGA and SAG-AFTRA series, which significantly impacted the entire Hollywood. However, the siblings did not show any frustration with this detour; in fact, they did not hesitate to show their support for the strikes. In an official tweet, they wrote:
“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.”
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
When the writers’ strike officially announced its end, the Duffers Brothers were quick to update their fans with a tweet, stating, “We’re back.”
— stranger writers (@strangerwriters) September 27, 2023
Stranger Things season 5 premiere expectation
As previously hinted by David Harbour, the production for the final installment of the series is expected to begin in the coming few days. If this materializes into reality, Forbes suggests that it will require 2024 for filming, thereby presuming, “A release date in 2025 is looking more likely due to the delays.” However, this has not been confirmed by Netflix or by the creators as of now.
The writers had already started working on season 5 before the strikes took flight. On August 2, 2022, a month after season 4, volume 2, dropped on Netflix, the writers unveiled a grid stage of writing each episode on X.
On September 20, 2022, they shared a photo of a complete grid. Not only that, but on the Stranger Things Day of the previous year, they unraveled the title of the first episode: “The Crawl.”