The hit sci-fi thriller Netflix series Stranger Things started filming season five in Atlanta on January 8. The creators of the show, the Duffer brothers, previously announced in February 2022 that season five will be the final season of the series.
The original production date for season five was delayed for more than six months due to both the Writers Guild of America (WGA) strike, which ended back in September, and the SAG-AFTRA strike, which ended in November. With the filming of season five ongoing, Stranger Things decided to start production in the “Hollywood of the South,” Atlanta, Georgia.
Georgia offers many scenic locations, appealing tax incentives and a lively film community that makes the Peach State an attractive choice for filmmakers. Since its first season, Stranger Things has been filmed in Georgia, and it serves as the main hub for the show’s filming. The various sceneries that Georgia offers provides the necessary space and resources needed for the suspense-inducing locations, such as the Upside Down.
Stranger Things is a science fiction horror drama show that has garnered an abundant amount of media attention and fans over the years. The beloved show has been ranked as one of Netflix’s most watched shows among Squid Games, Wednesday and Bridgerton. Along with being one of Netflix’s most watched shows, Stranger Things has been nominated for and won a countless number of awards including the NAACP Image Awards, Make-Up Artists and Hair Stylists Guild Awards and People’s Choice Awards.
The time gap between the start of the filming for season one to the filming for season five spans almost a decade. Season one started filming on September 25, 2015 in Atlanta, Georgia. The main cast of the show were preteens during the filming of season one. Now that roughly eight years have passed, the main cast’s ages vary from nineteen to twenty-one years old. Many fans have been wondering how Stranger Things will address or compensate for the age gap between the actors and their characters.
The executive producer, Shawn Levy, said the Stranger Things team has a solution to the aging problem. “We’ve already watched the cast of our show grow up in the public eye, and between 12 and 22, every human being changes profoundly,” he told Variety. Levy added that the show will rely mainly on the ability of hair and makeup to compensate for the age of the main cast instead of using a dense amount of CGI.
The showrunners confirmed to Indiewire back in August 2022, briefly after the release of season 4, that they are being distinctly conscious about wrapping up the current characters’ stories. “We’re doing our best to resist [adding new characters] for season 5,” said Matt Duffer, noting that they are “trying not to do that so we can focus on the ‘OG’ characters.” Ross Duffer said, “We’ve got a great cast of characters here, and actors, and any moment we’re spending with a new character, we’re taking time away from one of the other actors.”
While there is no confirmed release date, fans speculate that it could be around early 2025. One thing fans did discover is the name of the first episode will be titled “The Crawl.”
Netflix has more projects in the Stranger Things universe underway such as a prequel play titled, Stranger Things: The First Shadow and an animated television series spinoff.
