logo
The wait is over. Here's your first look at the final season of Stranger Things

The wait is over. Here's your first look at the final season of Stranger Things

The Age17-07-2025
Finally, there will be eight episodes split into three volumes with separate release dates.
Who is in it?
Most of the previous season's cast will return, including Winona Ryder, David Harbour, Noah Schnapp, Millie Bobby Brown, Finn Wolfhard, Gaten Matarazzo, Caleb McLaughlin, Priah Ferguson, Natalia Dyer, Charlie Heaton, Maya Hawke, Joe Keery and Brett Gelman.
Sadie Sink's return appeared less certain – the last we saw her character, Max, she was in a coma after falling victim to Vecna's curse. But the trailer confirms she will feature in the final chapter in some capacity.
Linda Hamilton, best known for her role as Sarah Connor in The Terminator, will join season five as a new character named Dr Kay. She's seen in the trailer surrounded by demogorgons. Other new actors include Nell Fisher, Jake Connelly and Alex Breaux.
Why has it taken so long?
Fans have been waiting for season five for about three years. Production was originally set to begin in mid-2023, with a premiere date sometime in early 2025, but it was delayed by the dual writers' and actors' Hollywood strikes (this industrial action halted all writing and filming).
Once a deal was reached, the busy schedules of cast members and the show's elaborate visual effects caused further delays. It finally went back into production in early January last year, and only wrapped in December. To put this into perspective, the final season of The Handmaid's Tale, which was also delayed by the strikes, has already come and gone. Same goes for season four of Emily in Paris and season two of Severance, both of which have been out for months.
Hawke told the Podcrushed podcast in 2024 that Stranger Things felt 'a little bit cursed' following the pandemic (which caused delays during season four production) and the dual strikes. Matarazzo also told The Hollywood Reporter that the delays were 'certainly frustrating', though he came to appreciate the extra time it gave the cast to be together.
Loading
For a show about a group of underdog kids battling supernatural forces, delays create logistical challenges. Wolfhard, for example, was 13 in season one but is now 22. Will audiences connect as much to a story about a group of young adults fighting evil?
Is this really the end?
Technically, no. According to an open letter written by the Duffer brothers in 2022, the main show will end but 'there are still many more exciting stories to tell within the world of Stranger Things '.
A spinoff series was announced in 2022, and an animated series set in the same universe. Then, of course, there's the Stranger Things stage play, which serves as a prequel to the original series.
It's unsurprising that season five isn't the end for the universe – season four set a Nielsen record for the most-watched show ever at the time, claiming more than 7 billion minutes of viewing time in a single week. It was also the most streamed series of 2022.
Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

TikTok meets Real Housewives in nepo baby drama
TikTok meets Real Housewives in nepo baby drama

Perth Now

time12 hours ago

  • Perth Now

TikTok meets Real Housewives in nepo baby drama

With Clare Rigden sick this week — no doubt bingeing a stack of excellent shows to report back on (between well-deserved naps) — it feels like the right time to reflect on my own go-to sick-day viewing. Watching TV while sick is a very different beast to your usual screen time. The shows don't need to grip you completely because you'll be drifting in and out of sleep, missing scenes between coughing fits and nose-blowing. There will be no Emmy nominations in this line-up, and chances are the shows will fall into either a guilty pleasure or hate-watch category. During a recent bout of the flu, I dove into The Real Housewives universe. And wow, what a world it was. We're talking handbags worth more than the average Aussie's annual salary, drama that veers from petty bickering to near fist fights, and housewives actually going to jail for real-life crimes. It's unhinged — and sick me couldn't get enough. While I'm saving the rest of RHOSLC for my next sick day, I have continued dipping into Next Gen NYC as it drops weekly on Hayu. Please don't judge me — I also watch Severance, The Studio, Hacks and all the other highbrow stuff. I have some taste. But if, like me, you need a bit of sugar with all that substance, this series delivers. It follows 'a tangled web of friends raised in the spotlight — or at least close enough for good lighting — as they stumble into adulthood one brunch, break-up and spontaneous decision at a time'. It's like if TikTok and the Housewives had a baby. Literally. The show features the children of some of the franchise's most iconic reality mums, and they're putting their parents to shame, shouting their way through their own chaotic episodes. There are characters being called 'dirt poor' because they don't get a $10k allowance from their parents, arguments over who should foot the $14k bill for a nightclub booth, and a full-blown spat over . . . something I've already forgotten (but felt very important at the time). And yet, it's all set against an iconic New York backdrop, has flashes of genuine friendship and surprising glimmers of growth. Sick or not, it's the kind of show that lets you switch your brain off — and sometimes, that's exactly what you need. Get well soon Clare! This creepy horror is currently streaming on Binge. Credit: Universal Pictures Australia / TheWest While we're talking nepo babies, this vampire horror featuring Lily-Rose Depp (daughter of Johnny Depp and singer-model Vanessa Paradis) and Bill Skarsgard (son of actor Stellan Skarsgard) is dropping on Binge. This is one you'll want to watch at full health, phone face down with all the lights on. Everyone's favourite angry chef is back with Gordon Ramsay's Secret Service. Credit: Supplied Back bef or e there was streaming and we had to hope something decent was on TV or that our pocket money could cover a new release at the video shop, it was always a great day when you stumbled across a Gordon Ramsay show. Whether he was calling someone an idiot sandwich, saving a restaurant that didn't particularly appreciate his style of tough love or making rising chefs reconsider their career path, it was nothing if not entertaining. It's fair to say he's softened a little over the years, so it will be interesting to see how spicy his new series is. This time Ramsay sends an insider undercover at a struggling restaurant who squirrels out information back to him. What could go wrong except for, well, everything. Ingrid (Sally Phillips), Austin (Michael Theo) and Julian (Ben Miller) are all back for season two of Austin. Credit: Supplied For viewing that feels like a warm hug, it's hard to go past this lovely show starring Michael Theo, Sally Phillips, Ben Miller and Perth's Claire Lovering. Season two picks back up on Austin's Game Of Scones: Doing Britain On The Spectrum (my book club would read that!) snapped up by a publisher before the newfound fame goes to his head. Can't wait to jump in the back seat with Claudia Karvan and Steph Tisdell for Great Australian Road Trips. Credit: Supplied There is nothing like a road trip to really get to know someone — the good, the bad and the 'let me out here please' — though we can't imagine there will be any of the latter between the hosts of this new series. Claudia Karvan joins Steph Tisdell while Melissa Leong is in the driver's seat with Nazeem Hussain as they take on some of Australia's best drives, including the Great Barrier Reef Drive in Queensland to Kangaroo Island in South Australia.

Julie Bowen 'started laughing' over fate of Happy Gilmore 2 character
Julie Bowen 'started laughing' over fate of Happy Gilmore 2 character

Perth Now

time16 hours ago

  • Perth Now

Julie Bowen 'started laughing' over fate of Happy Gilmore 2 character

Julie Bowen "started laughing" when she learned that her character dies in Happy Gilmore 2. The 55-year-old actress has reprised the role of Virginia Venit for the comedy sequel, and Julie has recalled laughing when she discovered her character's fate in the movie. The Hollywood star - who appeared in the original Happy Gilmore movie in 1996 - told People: "When I found out that I was killed on page 12, I started laughing. "I was on vacation with my family, and I had no wifi. I could barely read this thing. I only had my phone, and I was like, 'Am I seeing this right'? Trying to blow it up. "And I was like, 'Oh, yeah, I'm dead. And he kills me.' Then I just started laughing. I just started laughing and laughing, and Adam [Sandler] was trying to get through to me. I was on island with no wifi and barely any cell, and we finally connected. "I go, 'I don't care. It's great. Happy can't be happy.'" Despite this, Julie relished reprising the role of Virginia. The actress said: "It's just fun to be part of the whole thing. Of course, why would I not want to be part of Happy Gilmore, whether I'm a big part, a little part." Meanwhile, Julie previously revealed that she thought Sydney Sweeney was set to replace her in Happy Gilmore 2. The actress thought someone like Sydney, 27, was perfectly suited to replace her in the comedy movie. Julie told The Hollywood Reporter: "I thought, 'Well I won't be in it'. And that was OK - it was like Virginia Venit, it's been 30 years, he's got a hottie. He's got some little bitty on the side, like a cart girl. "As a matter of fact my children told me, before I was even told officially that there was a 'Happy Gilmore' sequel, my now 18-year-old said, 'Mom, I hear they're doing a sequel and he's with Sydney Sweeney as a cart girl.'" Sydney was widely linked with a role in the new 'Happy Gilmore' movie - but Julie was pleasantly surprised to be offered a part in the sequel. She said: "I went, I'm hurt and I so respect that move. Of course, why wouldn't you? So when I got the call that I was actually in it, I was like, 'Are you sure? Come on.'"

Jeff Bridges 'didn't want to offend' method actor Jared Leto
Jeff Bridges 'didn't want to offend' method actor Jared Leto

Perth Now

timea day ago

  • Perth Now

Jeff Bridges 'didn't want to offend' method actor Jared Leto

Jeff Bridges 'didn't want to offend' method actor Jared Leto on the set of Tron: Ares. The 75-year-old actor explained how his co-star wanted to be called by his character's name Ares while they were on set but he struggled to do so as he wanted to build a relationship with Jared, 53. According to The Hollywood Reporter, Jeff said at San Diego Comic-Con: 'He's one of those guys. Everyone has different methods and modes man. 'I didn't want to offend him as a thespo. But I thought, 'I wanted to have a certain intimacy with you. I know your name is Ares. Can I just call you Air?' He said, 'Yeah man! You can call me whatever you want!' We had a great time.' And, Jared shared how excited he was to work with Jeff, even calling cut in the middle of a scene because he could not stop smiling. He said: 'I just blurted out, 'cut!' Everyone was surprised, because I don't often do that. The first AD comes over and said, 'Is everything OK? What's wrong?' And I said, 'You know, I just can't stop smiling, because I'm working with my guy.'' The film - which follows on from the events of 2010's 'Tron: Legacy' - follows the computer software Ares (Leto) which is sent from the digital world into the real world to introduce artificial intelligence to humans. Bridges reprises his role as video game designer Kevin Flynn who was first introduced in the 1982 original movie. Writer/ director Steven Lisberger said: 'My feeling about Tron is the most important thing is we kick this technology around artistically before it kicks us around.'

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into a world of global content with local flavor? Download Daily8 app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store