Production of the fifth and final season of Stranger Things is well underway, as the show’s creators, Ross and Matt Duffer teased what’s to come during a panel at Netflix’s Tudum Theatre in Los Angeles on Sunday, November 13.
“We turned in the first script a couple of weeks ago, and we’re onto the second. It’s full steam ahead,” Ross told moderator Patton Oswalt (via The Hollywood Reporter). The Duffers were joined by executive producer Shawn Levy, as well as cast members Caleb McLaughlin (Lucas), Joseph Quinn (Eddie), Jamie Campbell Bower (Vecna), Priah Ferguson (Erica), Eduardo Franco, (Argyle), and a virtual Millie Bobby Brown (Eleven).
“I remember season one; we were just amazed that Netflix was letting us do this at all,” Ross continued. “But season two was when we really, with the writers, we developed an overall plan and a backstory for all of this and make sure that, with the Upside Down, everything about what it was.”
While he stated that a lot of details about the Upside Down started to reveal themselves in Season 4, “we do have quite a bit more to get in.” In addition to the show’s supernatural elements, Ross also noted that there are several character arcs that need tying up.
“But just as important as the supernatural, we have so many characters now — most who are still living — and it’s important to wrap up those arcs,” he said. “A lot of these characters have been growing since season one so it’s a balancing act between giving them time to complete their character arcs and also tying up loose ends and doing our final reveals.”
According to Matt, only a handful of people know how it will end, but the brothers pitched the entire final season to Netflix in a two-hour meeting. “We did get our executives to cry, which I felt was a good sign that these executives were crying,” he stated. “The only other times I’ve seen them cry were like budget meetings.”
“Those were different tears,” quipped Levy, who said that the “lifeblood” of the show is its characters. “Even though the show has gotten so famous and the characters have gotten so iconic and there’s so much about the ’80s and the supernatural and the genre, it’s about these people, it’s about these characters. Season five is already so clearly taking care of these stories of the characters because that’s always been the lifeblood of Stranger Things.”
As for the tone of the final season, Ross said it will incorporate parts of each previous season. “I think that what we’re trying to do is go back to the beginning a little bit in the tone of [season] one, but scale-wise it’s more in line with what [season] four is,” he explained. “Hopefully it’s got a little bit of everything.”
Stranger Things, Seasons 1-4, Streaming, Netflix