‘Basically, eight movies’: Stranger Things season 5 is going to test my runtime limits – and I watch Netflix for a living
‘The episodes are very long’
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Prepare yourselves for an ultramarathon TV session, everyone – because it sounds likeStranger Thingsseason 5is going to be a really,reallylong watch.
That’s according to Maya Hawke, who’s played Robin on the hugely popularNetflixseries since season 3. Speaking on thePodcrushed podcast, Hawke suggested that fans who watch the show’s final eight episodes back-to-back will be in for an extremely long binge-watching session, with each entry’s runtime being equivalent to a feature-length film.
“We’re making, basically, eight movies,” Hawke said. “The episodes are very long. Our showrunners, Matt and Ross [Duffer], take a lot of responsibility. They have an amazing team of writers, but they’re very involved. They write a lot and they are very intense and serious about the quality of the continued writing, and it takes a long time to write each season, and it takes a long time to shoot them.”
If, like me, you’ve been keeping a close eye onStranger Thingsseason 5’s development, you’ll have braced yourself for the possibility of episodic runtimes akin toStranger Thingsseason 4’s finale, which clocked in at two hours and 22 minutes. Speaking on theHappy Sad Confused podcastin July 2022, the Duffer brothers revealed that season 5 “is going to be [The Lord of the Rings:]The Return of The King” with its lengthy, barnstorming narrative and multiple endings.
Given that the theatrical version of that epicLord of the Ringsfilm is three hours and 21 minutes – and the Blu-Ray Extended Version is an hour longer than that – we should prime ourselves for some long episodes when season 5 eventually makes its debut. It sounds like we’ll need to plan our bathroom breaks accordingly, and stock up on plenty of snacks.
When will season 5 of Stranger Things come out?
Stranger Things' fifth and final season has been filming since January and, as Hawke also claimed on the Podcrushed podcast, principal photography will take a year to complete. Clearly, that meansStranger Thingsseason 5 won’t be released in 2024, although if it doesn’t finish shooting until January 2025 we might not even see it until late 2025 or early 2026. That’s a long time to wait for one of thebest Netflix showsto arrive back on our screens.
Still, there’s plenty you can do to pass the time. You could re-watch the other four seasons ofStranger Thingsto prepare yourself for its return, or simply read myStranger Thingsseason 4 volume 2 ending explainedarticle for a quick refresher on where things left off before season 5 is released.
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Alternatively, UK fans can go and watch its prequel stage play –Stranger Things: The First Shadow– at the Phoenix Theater in London. It’s playing until February 2025 and, apparently, has abig lore reveal that’ll need addressing in the hit Netflix show’s final season. You’ll have to seeThe First Shadow, though, to learn more about what reveal is.
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As TechRadar’s senior entertainment reporter, Tom covers all of the latest movies, TV shows, and streaming service news that you need to know about. You’ll regularly find him writing about the Marvel Cinematic Universe, Star Wars, Netflix, Prime Video, Disney Plus, and many other topics of interest.
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