Production on the fifth and final season ofStranger Thingshas been postponed amid the ongoing writer’s strike, PEOPLE can confirm.
The Duffer Brothers — who serve as creators, executive producers and showrunners of the hit Netflix series — first announced the delay on Twitter Saturday.
“Writing does not stop when filming begins,” Matt Duffer and Ross Duffer wrote on the official Twitter account for theStranger Thingswriters. “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.”
The existing contract between the Writers Guild of America (WGA) and Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMPTP) — which includes Netflix, Amazon, Apple, Disney, Warner Bros. Discovery, NBC Universal, Paramount and Sony — officially expired at midnight Pacific time on May 2, kicking off the walkout.
Stranger Things.Courtesy of Netflix
Writers have been seeking a major overhaul in compensation for streaming residuals, as well as higher pay overall, greater protections and a solution to the increase of “mini-rooms” in which a small group of writers pen multiple scripts for a show’s potential first season prior to production beginning.
AsDeadlinenoted, both the WGA and the AMPTP agree that despite a content boom in recent years, writers are bringing in less money overall. Ideas on how to fix the problem, unfortunately, is where the conflict originates.
“WGA proposals would gain writers approximately $429 million per year; AMPTP’s offer is approximately $86 million per year, 48% of which is from the minimums increase,” the guild said, according to the outlet.
The last writer’s strike started in November 2007 and lasted 100 days, ending on Feb. 12, 2008. It led to devastating blows throughout the industry and the loss of billions of dollars. Ripple effects were felt in all areas, including departments like hair and makeup, costumes, sets, catering and other crafts.
The Hollywood Writer’s Strike.CHRIS DELMAS/AFP via Getty
As for the impact of this year’s strike, it was was felt immediately with production on daily late-night shows includingThe Tonight Show StarringJimmy Fallon,Jimmy Kimmel Live!,The Late Show with Stephen Colbert,Late Night with Seth MeyersandThe Daily Showshutting down immediately.
Other weekly shows, like HBO’sReal Time With Bill MaherandLast Week Tonight with John Oliver, has also been sidelined. Daytime talk shows, includingThe View, have been forging ahead — though have warned that their formatwill look differentwithout its writers.
Noah Schnapp in Stranger Things.Courtesy of Netflix © 2022
In February 2022, the Duffer Brothers revealed the series would be wrapping with season 5 while teasingthe “supersized” season 4. “Seven years ago, we planned out the complete story arc forStranger Things. At the time, we predicted the story would last four to five seasons,” they wrote at the time. “It proved too large to tell in four, but — as you’ll soon see for yourselves — we are now hurling toward our finale.”
The two have since teased the show’s emotional endgame in previous interviews, with Ross Duffer tellingThe Wrapin May 2022 that some Netflix executives actually teared up when they announced their plans.
“We do have an outline for season 5 and we pitched it to Netflix and they really responded well to it,” he said. “I mean, it was hard. It’s the end of the story. I saw executives crying who I’ve never seen cry before and it was wild.”
Sadie Sink and Caleb McLaughlin in Stranger Things.Netflix/Kobal/Shutterstock
Though Netflix hasn’t revealed the official plotline for season 5 yet, it will likely follow the Hawkins kids as they try to defeat the evil Vecna (Jamie Campbell Bower) once and for all.
Harbour previously toldVarietythathe knows how the series endsand “it’s quite moving and quite beautiful.”
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“There’s an excitement there,” Matarazzo, 20, added onThe Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon, when asked about filming the final season. “You always want to wrap it up and you want to see how these characters are going to finally develop one last time, and how they’re going to finish their journeys.”
“But also, there’s a deep fear that’s been like — not only has it been amazing, but it’s been, like, pretty great job security.”
source: people.com
