‘Stranger Things’ Final Season Production Delayed by Labor Unrest

Production on the fifth and final season of Netflix’s Stranger Things has been delayed by the labor unrest between the Writers Guild of America and the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers.

Creators Matt and Ross Duffer shared the news in a tweet Saturday from the official writers room Twitter account for the show. “Duffers here. Writing does not stop when filming begins. While we’re excited to start production with our amazing cast and crew, it is not possible during this strike. We hope a fair deal is reached soon so we can all get back to work. Until then — over and out. #wgastrong,” they wrote.

Sources at Netflix confirmed that production on the supersized fifth and final season of the series will be pushed to a time to be determined but declined to comment on the record.

The news comes after the first week of the writers strike, as the guild is seeking viewership transparency from streamers, increased wage floor, and protections against mini-rooms and the use of artificial intelligence.

A number of scripted productions have already been shut down, either by choice or by the disruption of either not having showrunners or writers on set or by picketers. Production on the Apple comedy Loot was disrupted on Friday by striking writers picketing the Bel-Air mega-mansion used for filming, for example.

Netflix confirmed in early 2022 that the fifth season of Stranger Things would be its last. The Duffer brothers have an overall deal with the streamer and, before the strike, were already working on a spinoff as well as an animated series set in the same world, in addition to other unrelated projects. The delayed production means there will again be a sizable gap between seasons. While season two aired a year after the first, there was a nearly three-year gap between seasons three and four with the latter season having been split into two parts.