‘Stranger Things’ Halts Final Season Production: ‘It Is Not Possible During This Strike’

Stranger Things fans will have to wait a little longer than expected for the series’ fifth and final season as production was postponed due to the ongoing Writers Guild of America strike.

Series creators the Duffer Brothers informed fans of the news on the Stranger Writers Twitter — an account previously used by the writing room to tease future installments and answer fan questions about the series — reiterating the importance of writers even as scripts are near-completion.

“Writing does not stop when filming begins,” the Duffers wrote. “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”

Netflix announced in 2022 that Stranger Things would conclude with a final, fifth season before potentially embarking on various spinoffs. There was a three-year gap between Stranger Things 3 and Stranger Things 4, but that unusually large hiatus was due to the Covid-19 pandemic. The streaming service has not revealed a release date for the fifth season.

It’s not just one of Netflix’s biggest franchises, Saturday Night Live, and late-night television that has been impacted by the writers strike: Marvel recently revealed that work on their reboot of Blade has paused as well, as that film was still in the scripting stage even as it neared production, Variety reports; during the strike, completed scripts can still be filmed, albeit without writers on hand to make necessary changes.