STRANGER THINGS Season 5 Behind The Scenes Trailer (2025) Finn Wolfhard

STRANGER THINGS Season 5 Behind The Scenes Trailer (2025) Finn Wolfhard

STRANGER THINGS Season 5 Behind The Scenes Trailer (2025) Finn Wolfhard, Millie Bobby Brown, Winona Ryder, Sadie Sink, Natalia Dyer, Joe Keery, Maya Hawke
© 2024 - Netflix
It’s official: Stranger Things season 5 will be its last. Back in February 2022, the Duffer Brothers announced the news themselves in an open letter shared with fans alongside Season 4’s official poster.

"Seven years ago, we planned out the complete story arc for Stranger Things," the duo wrote in their letter. "At the time, we predicted the story would last four or five seasons. It proved too large to tell in four, but—as you'll soon see for yourselves—we are now hurtling toward our finale. Season 4 will be the penultimate season; season 5 will be the last."

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“With nine scripts, over eight hundred pages, almost two years of filming, thousands of visual effects shots and a runtime nearly twice the length of any previous season, Stranger Things 4 was the most challenging season yet, but also the most rewarding one,” the Duffer Brothers shared, calling the fourth season “the beginning of the end.” The duo also shared that the decision to split the season in two parts was due to its “unprecedented length” and to get it to fans “as soon as possible.”

The Duffer Brothers have served as the series creators and showrunners since Stranger Things premiered on Netflix back in 2016. Now, with a two-volume Season 4 in the rearview, there's only one chapter left to focus on for our favourite group of Hawkins kids.

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The Duffer Brothers also hinted that though Stranger Things may be coming to an end, its universe will not. “There are still many more exciting stories to tell within the world of Stranger Things; new mysteries, new adventures, new unexpected heroes.”

With the promise of so much and so little left on the horizon, we've gathered everything we know so far about Stranger Things Season 5, including release date, plot details, cast info, and more. Below, check out everything you need to know about. Stranger Things 5.

Who is in the cast of Stranger Things Season 5?
Courtesy of Netflix
Luckily for us, the majority of the main cast made it out of Season 4 alive and were present in the final scene of the season. That being said, it's safe to assume that most if not all of the main cast will return for Season 5. This includes Millie Bobby Brown (Eleven), Finn Wolfhard (Mike), Caleb McLaughlin (Lucas), Gaten Matarazzo (Dustin), Noah Schnapp (Will), Priah Ferguson (Erica), Natalia Dyer (Nancy), Charlie Heaton (Jonathan), Maya Hawke (Robin), Joe Keery (Steve), David Harbour (Hopper) and Winona Ryder (Joyce).

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We bid farewell to Eddie Munson (played by Joseph Quinn) in Episode 9, as he died a hero saving his friends and protecting his town. The Duffer Brothers confirmed this character's death while appearing on the Happy Sad Confused podcast following the finale—yet, there's two other character deaths from Volume 2 that are a bit more unclear.

Max became a victim of Vecna's curse in the two-part finale and was technically dead for a full minute before Eleven restarted her heart with her powers. The last we see of Max, she's hospitalised and in a coma. Eleven tries to communicate with her by searching for her mind, but there is, tragically, no response.

While speaking to Entertainment Weekly following Volume 2's release, actress Sadie Sink (who plays Max) opened up about the agonising scene of Max's death and her character's future in the show. "It really is just so sad," Sadie said told EW. “When you're putting yourself in that moment and then you're with someone like Caleb, who I've known since I was very little, sometimes things can feel very real on that set. It was very emotional… It's just so heartbreaking."

When asked about Max's fate, however, EW reports that Sadie was quick to point out that Max has a pulse and is technically still alive and present in the show. "I'm not sure where we're going and what Max's state is. It's definitely all up in the air right now," said Sadie. "I'm just as excited as everyone else to find out where Max is and how she's doing."

Jamie Campbell Bower, who portrayed this season's villain Vecna/Henry/One, also hinted at a S5 return to EW, noting the scene where Vecna should be dead, but suddenly disappears. Though Jamie didn't confirm whether he'd signed on for multiple seasons, Will's mention to Mike that he could still feel Vecna's presence during the finale is almost confirmation enough.

What will Stranger Things Season 5 be about?
Courtesy of Netflix

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Stranger Things 5 will likely follow the Hawkins gang's final adventure as they team up to crack their biggest mystery yet: how to defeat Vecna once and for all. The Duffer Brothers previously told TV Line that there will be a time jump, and confirmed to Collider that the last season will primarily be set in Hawkins and the Upside Down—no more being split between Russia, California and Indiana. The brothers have also revealed in multiple interviews that the main focus of Season 5 will be to break down the mythology of the Upside Down, and finally provide answers to questions we've had since Season 1.

The Duffer Brothers have also been clear that they're not entirely sure what this last season will look like, but they know for sure how it will end.

“It's like that lighthouse blinking in the distance... while a lot of Season 5 is actually pretty blurry, the last 30 minutes of it are pretty clear in our heads,” said Ross. "So if we can make the journey entertaining, I think that we have an end that will hopefully satisfy. You can't satisfy everyone, but the hope is that it's something that feels right for this story."

The creative duo previously told The Wrap that top dogs at Netflix shed real tears once they shared their ideas for the arc of Season 5. "We do have an outline for Season 5 and we pitched it to Netflix and they really responded well to it," Ross said. "I mean, it was hard. It's the end of the story. I saw executives crying who I've never seen cry before and it was wild."

It's been rumoured that David Harbour (Hopper) knows how the series ends, a piece of gossip that hilariously infuriates co-star Gaten Matarazzo (Dustin). And speaking of Dustin—for fans who were disturbed by the boy-genius seeming to be the only member of the group mourning Eddie's death, the Duffer Brothers also noted that Eddie will be honoured in the final season and that his death will actually have "huge repercussions" for those who made it out of Season 4 alive.

Has Stranger Things Season 5 started production yet?
Courtesy of Netflix

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Though filming for Stranger Things Season 5 has not yet started, the Duffer Brothers revealed to Collider that writing for the last season will start as soon as August 2022. (!!!)

“We're going to take a little vacation in July, and then we're going to come back,” the siblings said. “I know that the writer's room is going to start in that first week of August.”

Does Stranger Things Season 5 have a release date yet?
Courtesy of Netflix
There is no confirmed release date for Stranger Things Season 5 yet, but have no fear, the show's creators have some great news—it will be a much shorter wait than the 3-year gap in between Seasons 3 and 4.

"The gap should be quite a bit shorter this time, due to the fact that we already have an initial outline, and we can't imagine there will be another six-month forced hiatus," the Duffer brothers said during an interview with Variety. This means that we could potentially have a confirmed release date by early-to-mid 2023. Considering the visual effects the show demands and the busy schedules of the young cast—who are currently rising stars in Hollywood—we probably won't see new episodes until either late 2023 or 2024. But we'll gladly take two years over three!

How many episodes will Stranger Things Season 5 have?
Courtesy of Netflix

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There isn't a total count of episodes yet, but while appearing on the Happy Sad Confused podcast, Matt Duffer revealed that Season 5 will be regular-sized, not super-sized like Season 4 (which had a total runtime of nearly 13 hours).

“The only reason we don’t expect to be as long is, this season, if you look at it, it’s almost a two-hour ramp up before our kids really get drawn into a supernatural mystery," Matt said. "You get to know them, you get to see them in their lives, they’re struggling with adapting to high school and so forth, Steve’s trying to find a date, all of that. None of that is obviously going to be occurring [in Season 5]."

Season 5 will apparently start off with a bang, since there will be “less to ramp up." “Characters are already going to be in action, they’re already going to have a goal and a drive, and I think that’s going to carve out at least a couple hours and make this [final] season feel really different,” Matt explained to The Wrap. “I’m sure the wrap-up will be a lot longer."

While appearing on the Happy Sad Confused podcast, Ross echoed this, joking that the series finale will have “like, eight endings.” One thing from Season 4 will be repeated, though, and that's the film-length finale runtime. “We’re more likely to do what we did here, which is to just have a 2.5-hour episode,” added Matt about the series finale.

Is there a trailer for Stranger Things Season 5?
Courtesy of Netflix

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At the moment, there is no trailer for Stranger Things Season 5. All we have are our powerful imaginations and all the tea that Duffer Brothers continue to spill!

Will there be spinoffs of Stranger Things?
Courtesy of Netflix
The Duffer Brothers have been hinting for years that this isn't the end of the Stranger Things universe, and as the end of the original series nears, they have more to share about expanding the franchise.

“There's a version of [a spinoff] developing in parallel [to season 5], but they would never shoot it parallel,” Ross said while speaking to Variety. “I think actually we're going to start delving into that soon as we're winding down and finishing these visual effects, Matt and I are going to start getting into it.”

“The reason we haven't done anything is just because you don't want to be doing it for the wrong reasons, and it was just like, ‘Is this something I would want to make regardless of it being related to Stranger Things or not?’ And definitely,” said Matt. “Even if we took the Stranger Things title off of it, I'm so, so excited about it. But it is not… it's going to be different than what anyone is expecting, including Netflix.”

The Duffer Brothers have also revealed that they would like to hand the spinoff to someone new. “The idea, ultimately, is to pass the baton to someone else, someone who’s hopefully really talented and passionate,” Matt added while on Happy Sad Confused. “Even the idea of Ross and I, say, doing a pilot and leaving it, it just feels silly to me. You really need to be there from the beginning to the end. I think we need to find a partner to help us with that.”

But apparently, Finn Wolfhard (Mike) took one guess at what the spinoff series was about and got it right. “Finn Wolfhard, he wasn't spitballing, he just went, ‘I think this would be a cool spin-off,’” Ross shared with Variety. “And we were like, ‘How in the world…?’”
"Stranger Things" season 5 is coming to Netflix... at some point. It's been nearly two years since "Stranger Things" season 4 burst on the scene in 2022, introducing viewers to Vecna and kicking off the series' final arc

"Seven years ago, we planned out the complete story arc for 'Stranger Things,'" series creators the Duffer Brothers wrote in a post announcing the final season on X. "At the time, we predicted the story would last four or five seasons. It proved too large to tell in four, but — as you'll soon see for yourselves — we are now hurtling toward our finale. Season 4 will be the penultimate season; season 5 will be the last."

LATEST "STRANGER THINGS" NEWS
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• Stranger Things creators say this character's storyline will 'tie the whole series together' in season 5

• Stranger Things director says season 5 won't follow Game of Thrones finale's example

• Stranger Things season 5 writers drop a big hint about what to expect

Though it may be bittersweet to say goodbye to the gang from Hawkins, the final season promises to be a grand affair, finally revealing the truth about the Upside Down and explaining some of the series' long-standing mysteries once and for all. All we're waiting for now is a clear idea of when we might be able to watch it!

Here's everything we know so far about "Stranger Things" season 5 right now

'STRANGER THINGS' SEASON 5 RELEASE DATE WINDOW
Writing on "Stranger Things" season 5 began on Aug. 2, 2022, almost exactly a month after Season 4, Volume 2 debuted, Though production had to be suspended during the writers' and actors' strikes in 2023, Netflix confirmed that production had resumed as of Jan. 8, 2024, and is ongoing.

Unfortunately, that means that it will be at least a year before we can travel back to Hawkins with the gang and see the final installment of this blockbuster series. No specific release window has been released, but based on the history of the series, most fans are hoping to see a summer 2025 premiere date for "Stranger Things" season 5.

Originally, it looked like the plan was to release all of the episodes at once, but given the significant delays, we may be looking at another split season. As of our latest update, we still don't have a firm release date or clarity on the release strategy. As and when we learn more, we'll include it here.

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'STRANGER THINGS' SEASON 5 CAST
Noah Schnapp, Millie Bobby Brown, David Harbour, Winona Ryder, Cara Buono, Joe Keery, Amybeth McNulty, Charlie Heaton, Brett Gelman, Maya Hawke, Natalia Dyer, Jamie Campbell Bower, Priah Ferguson, Linda Hamilton, Gaten Matarazzo, Caleb McLaughlin, Ross Duffer, Matt Duffer, Finn Wolfhard, and Sadie Sink of "Stranger Things."

Noah Schnapp, Millie Bobby Brown, David Harbour, Winona Ryder, Cara Buono, Joe Keery, Amybeth McNulty, Charlie Heaton, Brett Gelman, Maya Hawke, Natalia Dyer, Jamie Campbell Bower, Priah Ferguson, Linda Hamilton, Gaten Matarazzo, Caleb McLaughlin, Ross Duffer, Matt Duffer, Finn Wolfhard, and Sadie Sink of "Stranger Things." (Image credit: ATSUSHI NISHIJIMA/NETFLIX)
Confirmed "Stranger Things" season 5 cast members include almost all series regulars from Season 4, including:

Millie Bobby Brown as Eleven: A powerful young girl with telekinetic and telepathic abilities who escapes a government lab and is now trying to help her friends seal off the "Upside Down" and its horde of monsters forever.

Finn Wolfhard as Mike Wheeler: Eleven's best friend and central connection to the human world.

Noah Schnapp as Will Byers: After being abducted to the Upside Down, Will Byers maintains a mysterious connection to the Upside Down, and wants to help his friends discover the mysteries behind this otherworldly realm.

Gaten Matarazzo as Dustin Henderson: The undeniable heart of the group, Dustin keeps his friends close despite overwhelming odds.

Caleb McLaughlin as Lucas Sinclair: Athletic, brave, and logical, Lucas sometimes feels like an outsider, but he knows his friends always have his back.

Sadie Sink as Max Mayfield: A skateboard-loving and independent girl who becomes a close friend to the group, and a love interest for Lucas.

Priah Ferguson as Erica Sinclair: Lucas's no-nonsense younger sister who gets drawn into the group's mysteries.

Natalia Dyer as Nancy Wheeler: A resourceful and intelligent high school senior who uses her journalistic skills to investigate the strange happenings in Hawkins.

Charlie Heaton as Jonathan Byers: Will's older brother who becomes romantically involved with Nancy.

Joe Keery as Steve Harrington: A former high school jock who develops a protective bond with Dustin and the others.

Maya Hawke as Robin Buckley: A quick-witted girl who works with Steve at Scoops Ahoy and becomes a member of the crew.

David Harbour as Jim Hopper: A gruff but caring police chief who becomes Eleven's adoptive father and Joyce Byers' love interest.

Winona Ryder as Joyce Byers: Will and Jonathan's protective mother who will do anything to keep her kids (and Jim Hopper) safe.

Jamie Campbell Bower as Henry Creel/Vecna: A dangerous being with telekinetic powers who threatens Hawkins from the Upside Down.

In addition to this cast of regulars, a new face will be joining the cast on their final trip to the Upside Down: Linda Hamilton of "Terminator" fame. Hamilton's role in the series has not yet been revealed, but the star has been confirmed to be appearing in multiple episodes.

As of our latest update, we know that Linda Hamilton isn't the only new face gracing Hawkins this time, either. In a recent set video (more on that below), we saw Nell Fisher, Jake Connelly and Alex Breaux, though their roles haven't been disclosed yet, either.

Sadly, one actor who won't be back is Joseph Quinn who played fan-favorite character Eddie Munson in Stranger Things 4. The Duffer Brothers confirmed that the character would not be back for season 5 on the Happy Sad Confused podcast, and despite hopeful fan theories, said that the character truly died in season 4 during the demo-bat showdown with Dustin.

'STRANGER THINGS' SEASON 5 PLOT
Sadie Sink as Max, is levitating with her eyes going weird in Stranger Things season 4

(Image credit: Netflix)
The first four seasons of "Stranger Things" cover a lot of ground. The series starts off in 1983 with the disappearance of Will Byers into the mysterious realm known as the "Upside Down" His friends, Mike, Dustin, and Lucas, search for him, encountering Eleven, a mysterious girl with telekinetic powers, who has a mysterious connection to another dimension she calls the Upside Down, which is populated with monsters that the group of friends call Demogorgons, who are beginning to make their way into our world.

The first season ends with the gang saving their friend (with some help from Sherrif Jim Hopper and Will's mother Joyce) but also unwittingly unleashing an even bigger monster.

Season 2 fast-forwards to a year later: 1984. Things appear normal in Hawkins, but unbeknownst to the group of friends, Will is being possessed by something called the Mind Flayer, who has its sights on learning more about the town. Making matters more complicated is the new girl Max and her brother Billy, who immediately draw attention and suspicion from the group.

Though the Mind Flayer is seemingly defeated at the end of season 2, Will alerts the group during season 3 that he believes this entity hasn't actually left and is now targeting the citizens of Hawkins as part of its plan to reopen the gate to the Upside Down. Romance and conflict blossom in equal measure within the friend group, and emotions run high as a climactic battle takes place inside the Starcourt Mall, where sacrifices are made to defeat the Mind Flayer once and for all.

Season 4 picks up in 1986, with the group scattered. Eleven and the Byers family have moved to California, while Mike visits them on spring break. But their attempt at normalcy is shattered following several gruesome murders back in Hawkins. Though Eleven gave up her powers, she must re-discover them at a secret laboratory to help defeat Vecna, an evil creature from the Upside Down who is later revealed to be Henry Creel, or 001.

Once again, all roads lead to Hawkins, as Vecna claims victim after victim in Hawkins, and his connection to Eleven is revealed. And while the team is able to temporarily deal with this threat, it is clear that Vecna isn't done with his evil plot just yet...

When "Stranger Things" season 5 picks up, a lot of time will have passed following season 4, and the Duffer Brothers have confirmed a substantial time jump will be used. The brothers have also revealed in multiple interviews that the main focus of season 5 will be to break down the mythology of the Upside Down and defeat Vecna once and for all.

The "Stranger Things" crew has been sharing periodic teases about what fans can expect from the final season, confirming the first episode of the fifth season will be called "The Crawl," and the first scene will open in darkness with the sound of cold wind and groaning trees with an unnamed child singing “a familiar song."

Of course, we have no idea what that means, but it definitely sounds like the final season will be getting off to a very spooky start!

Vecna as seen in Stranger Things season 4

Vecna's promised big things are coming in season 5. (Image credit: Netflix)
In June 2024, Vecna himself, Jamie Campbell Bower, teased that the show is hurtling towards an 'out of control' final season. Speaking on iHeart's "I've Never Said This Before with Tommy DiDario", Bower let slip that the new season is about to be massive.

"If you thought last season was nuts, this season is just out of control, wild, like, it's bonkers. It really, really is. It's bigger. It's just completely insane. It's completely insane", he said.

IS THERE A 'STRANGER THINGS' SEASON 5 TRAILER?
We don't have a proper "Stranger Things" season 5 trailer just yet, though on July 15, Netflix did share a behind-the-scenes teaser to mark the fact that the cast and crew were officially halfway through shooting the final season.

In it, we get glimpses at some of the season 5 sets, see those new faces we mentioned above, and learn just how hyped the cast and crew are about season 5 (spoiler alert: they're all very excited). Check it out below: