Stranger Things: Prey Director to Helm Episode of Season 5

While there are a lot of unknowns surrounding the plot of the upcoming fifth and final season of Stranger Things, Netflix today confirmed that 10 Cloverfield Lane and Prey director Dan Trachtenberg had been enlisted to help bring the mysterious series to life. Even the streamer reported that it was currently unknown what episode the filmmaker would be directing, though it’s unclear whether that’s because they want to keep these details under wraps or if it’s because, with shooting currently on hold, it hasn’t been decided which chapter of the new season would be the best fit for his skills.

“Get ready to head back to Hawkins, Indiana. Season 5 of Stranger Things is inching closer, and a new member is joining the Party — 10 Cloverfield Lane director Dan Trachtenberg will direct an episode of the show’s upcoming final season,” Netflix announced. “There’s no word yet on which episode the director will helm, but he’s an eminently qualified set of hands.”

The streamer added, “The Stranger Things writing team began working on the show’s final season in August 2022, and back in November 2022, they gave us a tantalizing hint about the Upside Down’s epic conclusion. Episode 1 of Season 5 is called ‘The Crawl,’ but what that might signify is anyone’s guess.”

Trachtenberg is no stranger to keeping secrets, as he developed and began filming “Skulls” without revealing that the movie was an entry into the Predator franchise, and even expressed his disappointment when the movie was revealed to be a prequel to the iconic 1987 film before it was unleashed on audiences. Similarly, his film 10 Cloverfield Lane was largely kept under wraps until only months before its release, with that movie securing only a single trailer and avoiding offering any direct teases of how it connected to 2008’s Cloverfield.

There’s a lot of expectations about the upcoming Season 5 of the series, especially given that it’s the series’ sendoff, but audiences have an extended wait ahead of them, as the writers’ strike saw production shutting down indefinitely. With various other filmmaking guilds on the verge of similarly striking, it’s entirely unknown when production on Stranger Things will resume, though longtime fans know that the episodes will surely be worth the wait.

Stay tuned for details on Stranger Things Season 5.

Are you excited that the director has joined the new season? Let us know in the comments below or contact Patrick Cavanaugh directly on Twitter to talk all things horror and Star Wars!