Netflix Debuts First ‘Stranger Things 5' Footage: ‘It's Like 8 Blockbuster Movies'

Yahoo

30-01-2025

'Stranger Things' is nearing its end. With the fifth and final season set to be released sometime later this year, creators Matt and Ross Duffer (collectively known as the Duffer Brothers) are closing the book on the Hawkins, Indiana gang and their superpowered bestie. And at a Next on Netflix event in Los Angeles on Wednesday, they showed off the very first footage from the series.
The footage, described by Ross as 'the world's very first behind-the-scenes look' at 'Stranger Things' Season 5, showcased our main characters (Mike, Hopper, Dustin, Lucas, Eleven and more) going up against the villainous Vecna (Jamie Campbell Bower). Since this was behind-the-scenes footage, you also saw some guys in grey leotards that will probably be replaced by Demogorgons or some other creepy crawlies from the Upside Down. (The season is set in 1987.)
There was a heavy emphasis on Hawkins' radio station WSQK, with its lightning bolt logo (we can already see the merchandise), and there have been previous behind-the-scenes photos of the radio station in the Upside Down, with vines crawling all over it. Also, one of the episodes was revealed to be called 'Shock Jock.' So yes: important location.
Also of note were some fleeting shots of Linda Hamilton, new to the 'Stranger Things' world, as an undisclosed character (she looked military from the footage). Plus Eleven (Millie Bobby Brown) in what looked like 1980s workout gear and Dustin (Gaten Matarazzo) has a new hat. Much of the footage featured cast and crew against blue screen backdrops, which did much to obscure what the scenes were actually meant to be.
And it does sound like this will be even more complicated than 'Stranger Things 4,' which had feature-length episodes and giant set pieces (remember Hopper fighting monsters in the Russian prison?) That fourth season also ended with a corker of a cliffhanger; much of the town had been destroyed by an 'earthquake' and fan favorite character Max (Sadie Sink) remained in a coma.
'We spent a full year filming this season. By the end, we'd captured over 650 hours of footage. So, needless to say, this is our biggest and most ambitious season yet,' said Ross Duffer on the stage at the Egyptian Theater. 'It's like eight blockbuster movies. It's pretty insane.'
It was an emotional journey for everybody.
'We've been making this show together for almost 1- years. There was a lot of crying. There was so much crying,' Matt Duffer said. 'The show means so much to all of us, and everyone put their hearts and souls into it. And we hope — and believe — that passion will translate to the screen.'
While a timeline for when the season will come out has yet to be shared, the Duffer Brothers did promise that they were not done with the Upside Down. 'Stranger Things: The First Shadow,' a terrific theatrical production that debuted in the West End, will soon make its way to Broadway. 'There are many more stories to tell,' admitted Matt Duffer. This includes a pair of animated series, neither of which were detailed at the event.
In 2026, the Duffer Brothers are bringing two new shows to Netflix, as well – 'The Boroughs,' which Matt said 'probably shares the most DNA with 'Stranger Things' because it's about a group of misfits who fight an otherworldly evil,' only this time it's set in a retirement community (it stars Alfred Molina, Geena Davis, Alfre Woodard and Bill Pullman); and 'Something Very Bad Is Going to Happen,' which 'follows a bride and groom in a chaotic, anxiety-filled week leading up to their wedding' (according to Ross). The Duffers are producing both series through their Upside Down Pictures.
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