Stranger Things Season 5 production has been postponed due to the ongoing writers’ strike. Series creators Matt and Ross Duffer took to social media to confirm news of the delay.
Although the initial scripts for Season 5 appear to be finished, the Duffer brothers have still decided to shut down production, noting in their message to fans that “writing does not stop when filming begins.”
On the official Stranger Things writers social media channel, the Duffer Brothers wrote:
“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.”
The writers’ strike began on May 2nd when the Writers Guild of America and major Hollywood studios failed to agree on a new contract. The guild is seeking higher compensation across the board, better residuals, staffing requirements, and protection from the use of artificial intelligence in the use of production.
A lot of these “demands” feel like fairly reasonable requests, especially as streaming has upended the industry. While the production process has evolved rapidly with the increase of streaming services, the existing contract failed to address many of the issues currently hurting writers.
For example, before the streaming era, writers used to work on shows for longer periods of time, well into filming in the event that rewrites and such were needed. It has since become common practice for writers to turn in a script after ten weeks and then the series goes off to shoot without any further input from the writer. The Duffer Brothers’ recognize that producing a good series requires more than just a single final draft and that changes and rewrites may have to occur during the filming process.
Of course, that’s only one major issue. Residual payout has also dropped significantly, especially as shows now release on a streaming service and stay there forever – no longer going into syndication on other networks.
Filming on the fifth and final season of the hit Netflix series was reportedly slated to kick off in June, but that target date will likely be missed now due to the strike. This almost certainly means fans will have to wait even longer to see the final resolution of the beloved series.
Stranger Things is the latest production to be impacted by the ongoing writers' strike. IGN recently reported that pre-production on Marvel's Blade has also been paused. And while The Lord of the Rings: Rings of Power is continue to move toward production on Season 2, it's doing so without its showrunners, which could become an issue if rewrites are needed.