Streaming giant Netflix on Wednesday (July 16) thrilled fans of its highly successful sci-fi horror series Stranger Things by unveiling the teaser trailer of the most anticipated fifth and final season. Announced during Netflix’s Tudum fan event in Los Angeles, the final season of the hit sci-fi series will roll out in two phases, with Volume 1 releasing on November 26 and Volume 2 on December 25, before the grand finale on December 31.
The teaser, promising an emotional farewell, opens to show the gang getting ready for one last time. “After what we’ve been through, this thing, it ties us together forever,” says Jonathan Byers, as Hawkins’ favourite heroes, still reeling from the events of the fourth season, brave a difficult fight against the monstrous Vecna. With the gate to the Upside Down now torn open, and Vecna at its most angry state, it’s a do-or-die for Eleven and co.
The official snynopsis of the fifth season reads, “The fall of 1987. Hawkins is scarred by the opening of the Rifts, and our heroes are united by a single goal: find and kill Vecna. But he has vanished — his whereabouts and plans unknown. Complicating their mission, the government has placed the town under military quarantine and intensified its hunt for Eleven, forcing her back into hiding. As the anniversary of Will’s disappearance approaches, so does a heavy, familiar dread. The final battle is looming — and with it, a darkness more powerful and more deadly than anything they’ve faced before. To end this nightmare, they’ll need everyone — the full party — standing together, one last time.”
The final season of the series features familiar faces and new, including Winona Ryder (Joyce Byers), David Harbour (Jim Hopper), Millie Bobby Brown (Eleven), Finn Wolfhard (Mike Wheeler), Gaten Matarazzo (Dustin Henderson), Caleb McLaughlin (Lucas Sinclair), Noah Schnapp (Will Byers), Sadie Sink (Max Mayfield), Natalia Dyer (Nancy Wheeler), Charlie Heaton (Jonathan Byers), Joe Keery (Steve Harrington), Maya Hawke (Robin Buckley), Priah Ferguson (Erica Sinclair), Brett Gelman (Murray), Jamie Campbell Bower (Vecna), Cara Buono (Karen Wheeler), Amybeth McNulty (Vickie), Nell Fisher (Holly Wheeler), Jake Connelly (Derek Turnbow), Alex Breaux (Lt. Akers), and Linda Hamilton (Dr. Kay)
The final season will consist of eight episodes total: “The Crawl,” “The Vanishing of _____,” “The Turnbow Trap,” “Sorcerer,” “Shock Jock,” “Escape From Camazotz,” “The Bridge,” and “The Rightside Up.” The second title remains redacted, fueling speculation about who or what disappears.
Created by The Duffer Brothers, Stranger Things is produced by Upside Down Pictures and 21 Laps Entertainment. The Duffers also serve as executive producers, alongside Shawn Levy of 21 Laps Entertainment and Dan Cohen.
(L to R) Gaten Matarazzo as Dustin Henderson, Finn Wolfhard as Mike Wheeler, Caleb McLaughlin as Lucas Sinclair, and Noah Schnapp as Will Byers in ‘STRANGER THINGS’
Although this marks the end of the main series, the Stranger Things universe will continue to expand. Fans can also look forward to Stranger Things: The First Shadow, a stage production in London’s West End, and an untitled animated spinoff series.
Since its debut in 2016, Stranger Things has become a cultural phenomenon, with its fourth season alone garnering 140 million views globally.