When “Stranger Things” Season 5 premieres on Netflix next year, the streamer will retire one of its most acclaimed properties of the past decade (that is, until the inevitable spinoff). So why not go out with a bang for the show’s final season? And that’s what Netflix has done for Season 5, with an epic production schedule, ’80s stars like Linda Hamilton joining the cast, and acclaimed directors coming out of retirement to direct a couple of episodes.
Wait, what was that last part? That’s right: IndieWire reports that “The Shawshank Redemption” director Frank Darabont returned to filmmaking after a decade-plus of retired life to helm two of the final upcoming “Stranger Things” episodes. Darabont, more well-known these days for originally developed AMC‘s hit TV series “The Walking Dead” (before getting unceremoniously fired halfway its second season), talked to The Daily Beast about his decision to join in on the “Stranger Things” swan song. In short, he and his wife love the series, and couldn’t say no to the Duffer Brothers‘ offer.
“What really dragged me out of retirement was that my wife and I really love this show,” Darabont told the outlet about coming aboard “Stranger Things” S5. “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.” That answer will make sense to Darabont fans. He’s no stranger depicting heavy stories so long as they have heavy emotive depth, too (look to Darabont’s other Stephen King adaptations “The Green Mile” and “The Mist” as examples).
But a larger question looms over Darabont’s involvement on “Stranger Things”: is he out of retirement for good? Even the director doesn’t know for sure. “Who knows? I haven’t missed the business, but I have missed being on set with creative people. … It may well be one and done, but we’ve still got time.” Darabont infamously left the industry after his TNT show “Mob City” last only one season in 2013, firing off a $280 million lawsuit against AMC late that year for his dismissal from “The Walking Dead” two years prior. After that, Darabont was done with the business, and who could blame him? Having a TV network commit drag you through the mud is bound to leave a bad taste in one’s mouth.
But that’s an old story for a different time. The main focus here is Netflix snagging a three-time Oscar nominee to join the sendoff to a much-acclaimed series. Darabont directing two episodes of “Stranger Things” S5 coheres with co-creator Shawn Levy‘s proclamation last year that the show’s final season will be “epic in it cinematic scope,” including some episodes clocking in at two hours. Will Darabont be behind the camera for one of those? No confirmation there yet, but if Darabont’s involvement is a sample nugget of what “Stranger Things” S5 has in store for audiences, expect even bigger buzz as part of Netflix’s official build-up.
As for when “Stranger Things” will take its final bow next year? Expect its final episodes to premiere in early 2025.