"We're back": Stranger Things writers confirm production on season 5 has resumed

Stranger Things
(Image credit: Netflix)

Stranger Things writers have confirmed season 5 has resumed production now that the WGA strike has ended. The action officially came to a close today (September 27), after the group reached a deal with various Hollywood studios and streamers a few days earlier.

"We can say, with great pride, that this deal is exceptional – with meaningful gains and protections for writers in every sector of the membership," the Writers Guild of America said in an email to strike captains over the weekend. This morning, the Stranger Things writers took to Twitter to share an image that just read "we're back", which means our return to the Upside Down is inching ever closer once again.

While the overarching plot of Stranger Things season 5 is hard to predict – Eleven and the gang seemingly defeated the villainous Vecna at the end of season 4, though Will warned his pals of his inevitable comeback – we do know it'll feature a time jump. Will is set to become a major focus again for the first time since season 1 and it's been announced that the Stranger Things stage play, which focuses on the origin stories of Joyce, Bob, and Hopper, will reveals somewhat lead into season 5. That hasn't debuted on London's West End yet, though.

"It'll take a while to shoot, which will be tough since we can't get started yet, but it is what it is," Chief Hopper actor David Harbour explained recently, while appearing as a guest on the Happy Sad Confused podcast. "I'm excited to go back. I'm excited to wrap it up in a bold, amazing way, and I'm excited to really swing with this character. [Season 5 will] pay off the OG characters in big ways." 

Stranger Things is currently streaming now on Netflix. While we wait for more info on the fifth and final installment, check out our list of the best Netflix shows or our breakdown of all the cool new TV shows coming our way in 2023 and beyond.

Amy West

I am an Entertainment Writer here at 12DOVE, covering all things TV and film across our Total Film and SFX sections. Elsewhere, my words have been published by the likes of Digital Spy, SciFiNow, PinkNews, FANDOM, Radio Times, and Total Film magazine.

Read more
Stranger Things season 4, volume 2 finale
Stranger Things season 5 wraps as the cast say goodbye to the Netflix show with the cutest behind-the-scenes snaps
Mike, Eleven and Will in Stranger Things season 4 (2022)
Stranger Things season 5: Everything we know so far about the Netflix show's final chapter
Stranger Things season 5 set photo
Stranger Things creators Duffer Brothers reveal they filmed over 650 hours of footage for the final season of the Netflix hit, as behind-the-scenes teaser is shown behind closed doors
Stranger Things season 4, volume 2 finale
Stranger Things season 5 was a "Lord of the Rings-style" epic to film according to star: "I feel like it couldn’t have ended better"
Eleven holding out her hand in Stranger Things
Stranger Things season 5 releasing in 2025 might not be a certainty as its creators admit that target is "quite the push"
A group of kids gathered around a table during the Netflix show Stranger Things.
Stranger Things star recalls reading the final episode with his cast mates for the very first time: "[It] was much more emotional than I thought it was going to be"
Latest in Sci-Fi Shows
Pedro Pascal as Joel in The Last of Us
The Last of Us is "better" than 28 Days Later, says movie writer Alex Garland: "This is so much more sophisticated and moving"
Diego Luna as Cassian Andor in Andor season 2
Andor season 2 showrunner talks the much-anticipated Star Wars moment that we haven't seen on screen before: "It's a very significant part of our show"
Fallout
Fallout season 2’s dazzling and dystopian New Vegas is coming to life in a new leaked video
Diego Luna as Cassian Andor
The first three episodes of the best Star Wars show are now available to watch for free ahead of the Andor season 2 premiere
The Last of Us season 2 trailer shows spores
The Last of Us season 2 is bringing in one of the biggest game omissions from season 1 – and the showrunners say it's for a "good reason"
Kaitlyn Dever as Abby in The Last Of Us season 2
The Last of Us season 2's Abby star Kaitlyn Dever admits it's been hard to not look at character backlash on the internet
Latest in News
Original Xbox console
Former Microsoft exec says the first Xbox was killed early in favor of 360 because it was "losing money left right and center," but luckily "we could afford to hemorrhage cash"
A Monster Hunter Wilds character holding binoculars.
Despite Monster Hunter Wilds suffering monstrous performance problems on PC, it still outsold the PS5 and Xbox Series X versions in the US
Jordan A. Mun looks at herself in a mirror in just a vest in Intergalactic: The Heretic Prophet screenshot
The Last of Us creator Neil Druckmann says Intergalactic: The Heretic Prophet will also be about "being lonely," as if his zombie apocalypse wasn’t isolating enough: "I really want you to be lost"
A screenshot of Jordan drinking a soda during the reveal trailer for Intergalactic: The Hertic Prophet.
Intergalactic: The Heretic Prophet is "a game about faith and religion," which Neil Druckmann jokes will surely get less hate than The Last of Us 2
Pedro Pascal as Joel in The Last of Us
The Last of Us is "better" than 28 Days Later, says movie writer Alex Garland: "This is so much more sophisticated and moving"
Atelier Ryza 3 protagonist closeup
JRPG producer says people prefer their anime girls to have thick thighs when the economy's in the tank, and he's not even joking a little bit