Stranger Things Director Teases Final Season Will Be "Epic and Very Emotional"

The upcoming Season 5 of Stranger Things is set to bring to an end one of the biggest TV sensations of the last six years, and while there are a lot of theories about what those final episodes will explore, frequent director of the series Shawn Levy promises that it will be both "epic and very emotional." Series creators Matt and Ross Duffer understandably have a big challenge ahead of them, as they are forced to wrap up story elements from the previous four seasons while also introducing new plot points, though Levy's comments about the nature of the series bode well for the final season. Stranger Things Season 5 is expected to head into production next year for a potential 2024 release.

"I know that [the Duffer brothers] already hinted at this publicly, but when we sat there and heard the two-hour-long pitch-out for the storyline of this final season, I don't think there was a dry eye in the room by the time the brothers were done," Levy shared with Collider. "So yeah, this last season will be both epic and very emotional. I think making it will be pretty damn emotional, too, since this show has changed the life of every one of us who have worked on it. Anyway, writing is going really well, and we can't wait to head into production next year."

Back when the show premiered in 2016, no one could have predicted the impact it would have had on pop culture, especially as its cast almost entirely consisted of young or lesser-known performers. Levy pointed out how, this many years into developing the show, the Duffers have seen how the performers evolved and can play to their strengths. 

"The other thing that people don't quite get is that all of us who work on the show are fans of the show. Which means we feel lucky to be a part of creating this special thing together," Levy confessed. "And lastly, I think people would be surprised by the extent to which the Duffers channel the individuality of each actor and write to their strengths. Part of why the show feels so character-rich is that the duffers custom tailor every character, and every line of every character, to the individuality of the actor. That kind of synchronicity between performer and character -- which not all writers know how to create, by the way -- that's astonishing to me, and it's a Duffer superpower and a huge part of why the show is what it is."

Stay tuned for details on the final season of Stranger Things.

Are you looking forward to the end of the series? Let us know in the comments or contact Patrick Cavanaugh directly on Twitter to talk all things horror and Star Wars!