With a year having passed since Season 4 of Stranger Things dropped on Netflix, fans are itching to know what’s in store for the show’s fifth and final season. Luckily, Shawn Levy and the Duffer Brothers haven’t wasted any time in teasing what’s to come. In fact, the writing team recently took to social media to confirm that they’re back at work on the fifth and final Stranger Things season. While the tease may be a bit vague, it’s definitely enough to get fans excited for what’s ahead.
The first thing to note about the Stranger Things season 5 is that it will begin quite some time after Season 4’s shocking cliffhanger. This is probably to be expected given that the last episode left Max in a coma and Vecna tearing open a gate into the Upside Down.
But the good news is that Sadie Sink, who plays Max, has already confirmed her return to the show, although it’s unclear in what capacity she’ll appear in the new episodes. Likewise, the fate of fan-fave character Eddie Munson, played by Joe Quinn, is still up in the air. But it seems as though at least some of the supporting characters will be returning, including Karen Wheeler (Cara Buono), Ted Wheeler (Joe Chrest), and Vickie (Amybeth McNulty).
Fans also have a few clues about what to expect when it comes to the plot for the new season, as the Duffer Brothers revealed the series’ first episode title to be “The Crawl.” While this could simply refer to some sort of dungeon crawl-style romp through a monster-infested maze, the cryptic phrase has actually prompted fans to create a whole host of theories. For instance, some believe that it’s a reference to Metalica’s “Master of Puppets,” while others have argued that the title is a reference to the Dungeons & Dragons song by the same name.
In terms of the rest of the cast, it’s safe to assume that Winona Ryder and David Harbour will be reprising their roles as Mom and Dad. And while it’s a little too soon to say for sure, there’s a strong chance that Noah Schnapp will be back as Will Byers, too.
As for any potential new additions, rumors have surfaced that Linda Hamilton (AKA Sarah Conner from the Terminator franchise) will be joining the cast in an unspecified role. However, the Duffers have remained tight-lipped about the show’s production schedule and it’s likely that filming will only commence once the writers’ strike ends.
Fortunately, there’s plenty of time to keep track of the production and release dates for Stranger Things season 5, as Netflix typically releases its seasons in one go once they’re complete. With that in mind, we can expect the fifth and final season to hit the streaming giant sometime in 2023. In the meantime, you can keep up with all the latest Stranger Things news by following the official show account on Twitter.