Netflix’s Stranger Things will return later this year for its fifth and final season with one film legend set to join the team.
A major Hollywood icon has come out of retirement to direct an episode in the fifth and final season of Stranger Things. Providing an update on the Netflix show’s highly anticipated final season, series co-creator Russ Duffer, who runs the show alongside brother Matt, has confirmed that its first volume is complete.
Stranger Things season five will be dropped in three parts with four episodes (Volume One) on November 26 2025, followed by three episodes (Volume Two) on December 25. The final episode will then be released on December 31.
With the first set of episodes finished, Duffer has revealed how legendary director Frank Darabont stepped up to direct the third episode of the season. Darabont, 66, is often credited for ‘directing the greatest film of all time’ in The Shawshank Redemption.
His incredible directing work also extends to the The Green Mile, The Mist and The Majestic.
The former Walking Dead showrunner hasn’t directed since 2013, concluding his career with four episodes of the crime drama Mob City.
Taking to Instagram, Duffer shared a snap from the editing room, which featured the title card of episode three: The Turnbow Trap.
Duffer teased: “Chapters Three and Four: locked, mixed, scored, colored… Volume One is DONE”.
He continued: ‘“The Turnbow Trap” is the most classic Stranger Things-y episode of the season. It’s got all our favorite things. Directed by one of our idols Frank Darabont (Shawshank! Green Mile! Walking Dead!) — who literally came out of retirement for this. He crushed it, obviously.
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‘“Sorcerer” is MASSIVE — as big as any finale we’ve ever done, and the most logistically insane shoot of our lives. We’re still recovering.’
The update sent keen fans into a frenzy with many unable to wait for what is to come.
In the comments section, one fan wrote: “Plssss we need these episodes now we don’t want to wait till the end of November”.
Another demanded: “Is this a joke to you?”
Someone else questioned: “How are we supposed to keep waiting for another ~3 months?”
A fourth declared: “I will throw up from excitement now”.
Darabont announced that he would be playing a part in the Upside Down last year as he confirmed that he would direct two episodes of the upcoming series.
He told The Daily Beast: “What really dragged me out of retirement was that my wife and I really love this show.
“Our content now is so filled with horrible people doing horrible things for greedy reasons but Stranger Things has so much heart. That positivity is something I really responded to.”
While the Duffer Brothers are remaining tight lipped on what’s to come, the show did release a brief teaser trailer earlier this year.
Viewers were given their first glimpse of the main characters in season five including Millie Bobby Brown as Eleven, Winona Ryder as Joyce, Maya Hawke as Robin and Natalie Dyer as Nancy.
As the trailer continues, Noah Schnapp as Will Byers, Finn Wolfhard as Mike Wheeler, Caleb McLaughlin as Lucas and Sadie Sink as the ill-fated Max, who is still in a coma, are shown.
Opening up on the show’s ending, the brothers previously shared how they had created a 25-page mythology document at the start of series one.
Ross said at the time: “The last remaining questions that are answered in that document, we’ve punted a couple of those to have some big reveals in Season 5, and that’s really going to affect what Season 5 is about.”
He added: “As for the teaser trailer, it largely consists of scenes from Volume One, meaning that there’s far more which remains unseen. It barely scratches the surface.”
Stranger Things season five will return to Netflix in November 2025. The first four seasons are now available to stream.